Records of the Library
by The Sleeping Library
Summary: Even while separated, their stories continue. Short stories related to Light of the Moon. Helps to read that first!
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings from the Library, readers new and old. For those of you that have never read anything from me before, this group of stories is related to my first major work, Light of the Moon. If you want the entire backstory, you might want to read that. For those of you that read LotM, I welcome you back to the first of the short side stories I'll be putting out in the intervening weeks until I get the first chapter of Lunar Legacy ready. There are plans for four of them, so even if Lunar Legacy gets posted before these are done, I'll finish them off.**

 **Don't hesitate to leave a comment or review, or any thoughts on Lunar Legacy. All opinions and suggestions are taken into account. And now, onto the first of our shorts:**

* * *

The Rewards of Generosity

Rarity slowly opened her eyes. There was a piercing bright light above her, almost blinding her. Was she dead? Oh, that would be so unfortunate if she was dead. The last thing she remembered was getting hit in the chest with a crossbow bolt… She glanced down at that memory. Do scars persist through death? Hopefully not. She took quite a bit of pride in keeping her appearance near perfect, and a scar…

Her eyes were greeted with white fur.

Now that's unexpected. She didn't remember if the Princesses had completed their spell or not, but given that she was back in her pony body, she had to assume they had. She looked down her body to find it was also wrapped in a number of bandages. So she had lived? How… unexpected. Apparently someone had been able to save her life once they were back.

Closer examination showed she was lying in a clean bed, in a very noticeably clean room. She sat up, finding that yes indeed, she was a pony again. In a hospital. She didn't know whether to feel elated or disappointed. "I suppose I should be happy," She said out loud finally. She rubbed a hoof against her side. "At least I'm… safe."

Rarity let out a soft sigh and slowly slid out of bed. Standing up on four hooves was… weird, to say the least, and she did stumble a bit at first. But after several tries, she got back into the hang of it. "Well, I suppose I should see what the damage is…"

She wandered into the bathroom, taking each step slowly so as to not trip and fall. She made it with little incident and pushed herself up to the counter. The sight that greeted her almost made her slip and fall. Her normally elegant purple mane was ragged, and her fur was dirty and scuffed in several places. The trio of diamonds on her flanks were dull as well. There were bags under her eyes as well, and her hooves were worn. The bandages covering her body were the least of her hurts. However, she didn't react like she normally would, screaming bloody murder at the damage to her appearance. But she just felt… weary. The damage to her mane and tail could easily be repaired in time. Her coat could be washed, and sleep would fix the bags in her eyes and the headache that was creeping up.

"Perhaps I should go back to sleep," She muttered, exiting the bathroom. She was halfway back to her bed when she realized somebody—er, pony—else was in the room. She glanced over to find a very surprised pink pony standing there. Her bright pink mane bounced as she began shaking. Rarity blinked. "…Pinkie Pie?"

"RARE-BEAR!" suddenly, all Rarity could see was pink as Pinkie Pie slammed into her and sent them both rolling across the floor. When they finally came to a stop, the pink pony began bombarding the white unicorn with kisses, all the while trying to talk.

"I thought you were gone for good Rare-bear because you didn't wake up at first and all the doctor ponies said you had a real bad ouchie and that they weren't sure you'd be okay so I've been visiting you every day for two weeks hoping you'd wake up and when I came in today I saw you walking around but you didn't see me at first and then you went into the bathroom and then you came out and you saw me and you said my name and I was so happy that I started shaking and then I—!"

Rarity gently yet firmly managed to kiss her excited marefriend. The act caused the other mare to calm down immediately, giving Rarity a chance to breathe. They broke the kiss, and the white unicorn touched Pinkie's face with her hoof. She smiled. "I'm happy to see you too, Pinkie-winkle."

Surprisingly, Pinkie remained calm. "…I'm so glad you're awake, Rarity."

"How long did you say I was out?" Rarity had been trying to follow what Pinkie had said, and that one thing had piqued her interest.

Pinkie was a little sheepish. "Um… two weeks?"

"Oh goodness…" Rarity let Pinkie go and moved to sit on the bed. The pink mare followed her over and sat beside her. "Were we… where are we?"

"Canterlot hospital," Pinkie replied. "Apparently everyone that was in the other world ended up nearby, and now we're here!"

"So Twilight and the others…?"

"All safe! Twilight's in the castle with Applejack and Fluttershy, but everypony else is in the hospital too."

"Nopony was hurt too badly?" Rarity spoke slowly, trying to get used to saying 'nopony' and 'anypony' again. On top of that, she was still somewhat in pain. One hoof went to her forehead, slightly brushing against her horn. Oh yes, that was back too. Somewhat explained her headache.

"Um… besides you and Dashie? Just a little bit."

Rainbow Dash…? Rarity's mind shot back to the last thing she remembered. She had been shot with a crossbow bolt and blacked out. But before that, she had witnessed a warrior almost cutting of Rainbow's wing… "Is Rainbow Dash alright? She didn't lose her wing, did she?"

Pinkie shook her head quickly. "No, It was only partly cut, but she can't fly for a while. The doctors said that she's lucky it wasn't cut off all the way."

Rarity let out a heavy sigh. "If only I had been faster…"

"That's my line," A tomboyish voice said with a laugh. The two mares looked to the door and found a blue pegasus mare rolling in on a wheelchair. Rainbow Dash was just as beat up as Rarity, albeit with many more bandages. However none of the confidence was gone from that smile of hers.

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard Pinkie freaking out so I figured you were awake." The rainbow maned mare rolled herself further into the room, that familiar grin on her face. "You alright, Rarity?"

"Could be better," The seamstress admitted. "But we are alive, and that is what matters, no?"

"Yeah, I guess. Everypony was pretty banged up after… you know." Rainbow chuckled nervously. "Well, except for Twilight and the other Princesses, but that's no big deal."

"And… Ace?"

Rainbow blinked. "Oh, Ace? I… He's alright. Banged up but you know him."

"That's good to hear," Rarity said with a nod.

"I guess being born to kill gives him a tough body. He healed a lot faster than the rest of us."

"Grace did too!" Pinkie said. But then she looked thoughtful. "But she knows healing magic, so maybe she just used it on herself?"

"That's a good point," Rarity admitted. She glanced over at Rainbow. "So Twilight, Fluttershy and Applejack are alright?"

"AJ's tough, and Fluttershy and Twilight weren't near the fighting," Rainbow explained. "So they are just fine."

"…And Princess Luna?"

The room fell silent for a while. Neither Rainbow or Pinkie wanted to answer at first. It seemed like the answer was a bit too hard for either of them to say. Finally, Rainbow spoke up. "She's… alright, I think."

"You think?"

"She hasn't left her tower since Twilight and Princess Celestia found her out in the forest," Rainbow said. "She's… not speaking to anyone."

Rarity couldn't find it in her to be surprised. Luna had just lost the only person—er, pony? Man?—that she loved, and now he was gone. Lost forever in another world, his ultimate fate a complete mystery. And now forced to live without him… "I hope she… I hope she'll be alright."

"I hope all of us will be alright," Rainbow muttered ruefully, before turning her wheelchair and rolling back out of the room. "Hope you're back on your feet… hooves before long, Rarity."

"Likewise, darling," Rarity mumbled. The room was silent again while the two mares sat. Neither knew what to say. So finally, Rarity spoke again. "I… suppose I should get some sleep."

"Can I stay here with you?" Pinkie asked softly.

The white unicorn leaned over and kissed the pink mare on the cheek. "Of course, Pinkie-winkle," She told her with a smile.

-x-x-

"That dress looks wonderful on you, darling!" Rarity said, smiling proudly as the brown mare before her tried on another of the many dresses the white unicorn had in her Canterlot based boutique. Ponyville and the area surrounding the town had been overgrown by the Everfree forest, leaving it uninhabitable. There were reclamation efforts underway, but only time would tell if they could push back the forest enough for the town to be lived in again. For now though, the former residents of the town were living in Canterlot. Rarity was one of the lucky few to have a way of sustaining herself. By selling dresses, naturally! Just like the dress she was now waving out of the door. As she went back to her work room, she thought for a moment just how fortunate she was to be doing what she loved once more. Twilight and the others were living in the castle, and the Princesses were taking care of them. The only ones that Rarity needed to look out for were herself and Pinkie.

Well…

"Mommy!" A bright and cheery voice squeaked. Rarity winced for what came next. A little pink ball came rolling down the stairs into her workroom. It kept going until it hit a rack full of cloth and knocked them all down. Rarity looked over the dress she was working on to the pile of fabric. To both her relief and dismay, a little pink head popped out of the pile. A wild pink and black mane sat atop the little foal's head, and her mismatched silver and blue eyes shined with delight.

"Jubilee?" The seamstress muttered in surprise. A moment later, Pinkie appeared in the door with another foal on her back. That one was a grayish white just like Rarity, and her mane was violet and white.

"Sorry Rarity!" Pinkie said, looking worried. "I was looking after Jubilee and Exuberance and then Bibi ran off from me…"

Rarity's horn lit up and she picked up the little pink foal and levitated her over to her. "Oh, my little sunshine, must you always get into trouble?" She asked, nuzzling Jubilee. The little pink foal giggled at her mother's affection. "She's so much like you, Pinkie."

"Of course!" Pinkie grinned. "I want her to grow up and be my super-duper party planner assistant!"

"I just hope they grow up healthy," Rarity said, carrying Jubilee over to place her on Pinkie's back. The little foal almost fell off, but her sister grabbed her before she could. Rarity couldn't help but smile. "They already look out for one another."

Pinkie carried the two foals over to a penned in area and set them inside. "They're so cute!" She giggled.

"They are indeed," Rarity agreed, coming over beside her marefriend. They leaned up against one another. Carrying the babies to term at the same time had been a challenge, but with the help of their friends they had weathered the storm. Oddly enough, Pinkie had given birth first, almost half a day before Rarity. But both of their children were healthy and happy, and that was what mattered. Oh before long she'd be designing clothes for their birthday party that Pinkie had already planned…

"Excuse me?" A soft voice asked. "Is there anypony here?"

The two of them glanced to the door of the work room. "A customer?" Pinkie murmured.

"I'll handle it," Rarity said. "Watch them. And don't let Jubilee get out again, alright?"

"Okey-dokey-lokey!"

Shaking her head at her mare-friend's signature statement, she walked out into the showroom. After clearing her throat, she put on her business persona. "Welcome to Canterlot Carousel! Is there anything I can help… you… with?" She trailed off, eyes widening at the sight of who had just trotted into her boutique.

Princess Luna.

The Princess of the Night—or Dreams, as she preferred now, was standing quietly in the middle of the showroom, eyes focused on the white unicorn. Luna's mane was a bit unkempt, and she looked tired. But there was no weariness in her eyes. "…Rarity," She said in greeting, voice no more than a whisper.

"P-Princess," Rarity said respectfully, not exactly sure what to say. The Princess of Dreams had not been seen outside of her personal quarters in the castle since their return to Equestria. And now, without any sort of warning, was now in front of her. She was understandably unsure of how to proceed. "How… how are you?"

"Terrible," Luna said, barely any emotion in her voice. Her eyes dropped to the floor."…I miss him. I mourn his loss every day."

Rarity lowered her head. She knew who she meant. Her husband, Tyr Hymir. They had left him behind when they escaped his world, the man sacrificing his own life and happiness for all of them. Rarity couldn't speak for the rest of her friends, but Tyr's absence weighed on her every day. "…I do as well, Princess."

Luna glanced over at her, not speaking for a long minute. "I heard… your babies were turning a year old soon?"

"Oh! Yes, Jubilee and Exuberance are growing up splendidly. Pinkie adores them, as do I."

"…May I see them?"

"Uh… of course. Please." Rarity gestured to the work room, and Luna took that as her cue to move. She walked slowly over, the seamstress falling into step behind her. It was a short walk to the work room, but with the way Luna was acting it felt like a mile. The Princess never spoke, even as they entered the room. Pinkie was dangling a rubber chicken in front of Jubilee, the foal laughing and giggling at her mother's antics. Rarity cleared her throat. The pink mare glanced over, and dropped the rubber chicken onto Jubilee's head.

"P-Princess!" She exclaimed in shock. "I wasn't expecting you to drop by!"

"It was a spur of the moment decision," Luna admitted. She made her way over to the two foals, Jubilee playing with the rubber chicken. Ancè looked up at the Princess of Dreams, and the breath caught in the Alicorn's throat. "Their… their eyes…"

"Pure silver," Rarity said with a nod. "Just like…"

"His," Luna finished. She looked away. There was a heavy pain in her voice. "Just like Tyr's."

"…Quite." Both Rarity and Pinkie were well aware of the trait. Neither of them had silver eyes, and for both of their daughters to share that trait with their father? Not to mention the constant reminder that he was gone...

"I see the same every day," Luna continued, turning back to the two foals. Jubilee was gnawing on the head of the rubber chicken, while Exuberance was messing with her tail. "Aleron and Aurora carry so much of him in themselves, and I see him every time I look into their eyes."

Rarity gestured to a small table along the wall that had a pair of teacups there. A steaming kettle was already in place since the seamstress had been planning to take a short break. "…some tea?"

"That would be much appreciated. Thank you." Luna moved over and took a seat at the table, Rarity joining her. The white unicorn poured them both cups of tea.

"So is everything alright at the castle?" Rarity asked, hoping to steer Luna towards less depressing topics.

"A council was put into place while my sister and I were absent," Luna said, horn lighting up with her magic. The cup in front of her levitated to her lips and she took a sip. She looked a little surprised at the taste. "…This is good."

"I know my tea," Rarity said with a smirk.

"You do indeed. But as I was saying, Tia and the council are working closely together. I am not needed that often."

"So… you spend time with your children?"

"Yes… Somewhat. Aurora has grown fascinated with the guards and spends a lot of time watching them train. Aleron is very studious, and actually has spent a lot of time with Twilight Sparkle."

"He doesn't ask you for help?" Pinkie asked, bouncing over. "I mean, you are a super powerful Alicorn and all."

Luna let out a somewhat dry chuckle. "Twilight is much more knowledgeable when it comes to non-magical information. Aleron comes to me when he needs to."

"They sound like they are growing up to be great children," Rarity said.

"Quite. I only wish their father were here to see it."

Both Pinkie and Rarity looked at one another before glancing over at their own daughters. It was the dressmaker who spoke. "…I agree with you wholeheartedly, Princess Luna."

Luna gave her a strange look, before sighing. She set her cup down and rose. "I will not trouble you any longer. Surely you must be busy."

"Busy? Oh no, darling, you're no trouble at all!"

"But I…"

"I can always make time for a friend," Rarity said firmly. Beside her, Pinkie nodded vigorously.

'I appreciate it, but I must decline," Luna told them sadly. "I… I have neglected my own motherhood for far too long."

"...I understand. Give our regards to Princess Celestia?"

"Of course. May your happiness be greater than my own." The Princess of Dreams vanished then, a bluish smoke left in her wake. Rarity and Pinkie stood in a stunned silence, before Jubilee pulled the rubber chicken out of her mouth for a moment.

"Poof!" She giggled.

-x-

Tyr had been lying in this spot for the better part of the week. He had buried himself almost completely inside of a bush, the camo mesh covering him making him appear just like part of the scenery. His rifle, a specially made gauss weapon, was extended in front of him, the dull gray body obscured by the green paint he had smeared over it. From a distance, he was just another part of the scenery. He was prone in an area of overgrowth, almost invisible if not for the fact his current partner could see him. Well, seeing everything made that easy. "If it wasn't for Tsukiyomi, you'd be completely invisible to me," Isabel said thoughtfully.

Tyr lifted his eye away from the scope to glance over at his erstwhile companion. Isabel Striate was seated beside a nearby tree, camouflaged as well except for her bright red eyes. "I'll take that as a compliment," He replied, before setting himself back behind the scope. It had been a while since he had actually exercised his marksmanship. "Starting to feel like home down here."

Isabel gave him a weak smile before returning her gaze to in front. They were on a tall hill overlooking a road that curved in front of the hill. As Tyr had been told, he was to eliminate an apparent dictator that was oppressing the people of this world. This world, Tyr repeated to himself with a chuckle. For the past year or so (since time wasn't a concern of the Striate family) he had been travelling to numerous worlds on Jehu's behalf. Today was no different, except for Isabel joining him. The platinum haired woman had offered to be his spotter. "The target is approaching," She said suddenly, her eyes reverting back to their more natural hazel. She suddenly put a hand to her head.

"Eyes bothering you?"

"I've been using the All-Seeing Eyes liberally recently. I think… Yeah, I don't think I can see normally right now."

"Take a rest," Tyr said, scratching the back of his hand. The safety was engaged on his rifle, and he wasn't afraid of accidentally hitting the trigger. "Fenrir can spot for me."

A ways down the hill, the aforementioned wolf spirit hid amongst the trees. [Of course, Alpha] She thought.

Tyr gently adjusted his scope. "Time?"

"Two minutes," Isabel offered, moving from her spot and resting her back against a tree. "Good luck."

Tyr fell back into silence, waiting. Two minutes came and went in pure silence, before he felt a prick at his senses. [Alpha, the convoy arrives]

A convoy of futuristic cars and armored trucks came into view, guns on top of the trucks swiveling around to examine the countryside. But at that distance, unless they had some impressive marksmen of their own, they would never see Tyr and Isabel. The man was already moving his hands, unengaging the safety on his rifle and letting out a deep breath. There was a soft growl from the weapon in his hands as the mass-accelerator came to life. No matter how many times he used the weapons, feeling the soft vibration of it in his hands was strange to him. But it wasn't enough to shake his aim. "Now I just need to see him…"

"Second car from the rear," Isabel said, glancing around the tree. She winced and squeezed her eyes tight. "Oh dear, irregular heartbeat?"

"What?"

"The target is in the back of his car, middle seat. You're within effective range."

Tyr didn't respond, only lining up his scope with the middle of the second to last car. He held his breath, and it almost felt like the rifle in his hands stopped vibrating in anticipation. The dictator was a fat man, panic on his every feature as he looked around nervously. He must have been afraid of some kind of attack, not an angel of death from afar. Tyr gently placed the crosshair on the man, amused to see him flinch like he could feel it. "Goodnight."

The gauss rifle fired, a low hiss as the silver magic bullet loaded into the chamber was accelerated down its length and launched at the target. Despite using conventional ammunition, the nature of the weapon proved superior to bullet proof armor. The bullet punctured the glass at the front of the car, the divider to the back, and still kept its trajectory well enough to hit the target. The dictator's head exploded back into the seat of his car, a perfect little hole in his forehead where the fragmentation round had struck. Tyr only had to stay scoped in for a moment longer before Isabel declared, "Target eliminated. Excellent shot."

"Let's get out of here," Tyr said, engaging the safety and pulling a lever on the side of the rifle. The barrel opened up and vented all the excess heat. He had learned quickly that the gauss weapons Nexus provided to their military created a lot of heat when they fired, almost proportional to the velocity the round was fired at. For a sniper rifle, they made a _lot_. After waiting a moment and letting the steam dissipate, he folded the rifle together at the halfway point and swung it onto his back. Isabel's Tragedy performers gathered up their camo equipment and began to shuffle it away. Tyr glanced back to see Isabel struggling to rise, obviously trying to find a handhold to get up with. He let out a gentle sigh and smiled. "Come here."

"I can do it."

"Don't pout, just come on."

He pulled her up and she slipped one arm into his. "…Thank you, Tyr."

"I told you not to abuse Tsukiyomi."

"It's fine. Worse has happened."

They made their way through the overgrowth, Tyr leading the mostly blind Isabel. They were quite a distance away before the man spoke up to break the silence. "Why do we bother doing this?" He asked softly.

"Doing what, pray tell? You leading me around?" Isabel giggled. "You know using Tsukiyomi for too long leaves me blind."

Tyr gave her a flat look, but then realized she couldn't see his expression. "I meant stuff like what just happened. Assassination, precision strikes and the like…"

"You're alright with us letting dictators abuse their power?"

"No, of course not. Just... waiting on this guy for a week? I'm no stranger to that, being a sniper and all, but why?"

"Ah. You must be wondering why we don't simply attack using our Chaos Spirits."

"It would be much more efficient," Fenrir pointed out, appearing on Tyr's shoulder in her small form. "However an excellent shot my Alpha is, it may not have been such a bad idea to let the Pack loose. I do prefer ripping into my targets."

"We do that, and suddenly we're fighting a war," Isabel said softly.

Tyr frowned at that. "…What?"

"If we were to Invoke our Chaos Spirits, we'd end up catching the attention of the Zodiac Knights. And then we'd have legions of Zodiac troops hounding us, and invading this world." Isabel slowly shook her head. "We can't cause that sort of incident. On top of that, we'd never win in a straight up fight."

"What? But even Jehu alone…"

"If my father goes all out, he'd destroy worlds."

"I saw Passion match that Taurus fellow."

Isabel slowly shook her head. "In a one on one fight. The Zodiac soldiers would use their numbers to fight us if they needed to. They have an endless supply of soldiers."

"I see…"

"Not to say we couldn't win. It would just ruin whatever world we took our fight to."

"So we fight from the shadows?" Tyr frowned.

"As long as we act discreetly, we avoid attention. We use any advantage we can get. I'll admit it now, Tyr—I am a very pragmatic woman. I never play fair. If I want someone dead, I would kill them without giving them an opportunity to retaliate. Ana would rather shotgun a man in the back of the throat instead of letting them fight back."

Tyr gave a momentary thought to the black haired sibling, remembering the dead look in Anastasia's eyes. "I don't doubt that."

"To be honest, only little Passion would fight someone straight up, but that's just the nature of Mayhem…"

"So we act where we can," Tyr followed her line of reasoning. "But why not interact with the locals?"

"We embody Chaos Concepts," Isabel said with a laugh. "Tragedy, Carnage… On top of that, do we ever look like heroes?"

Tyr frowned. The armor he gained when he Invoked all of Fenrir's power was quite fearsome. He hadn't seen Isabel's Invocation, but from the young woman's comment it wasn't exactly something people would be too trusting of. Jehu was constantly surrounded by those chain snakes, and Ana was emotionally stunted. Right this moment, he was clad in all camo, carrying a hyper advanced sniper rifle. He could see where Isabel came from. "And all the while Zodiac troops are running around like stereotypical knights."

"Yeah, you got it." Isabel smirked. "Even their color scheme hints at it. Gold and white? how cliche."

"So we're forced to fight in the dark."

"Wolves always hunt weakened prey," Fenrir pointed out. "I agree with Isabel's pragmatism."

"Well, I suppose there is no black and white in this war," the man muttered.

Isabel laughed quietly. "No matter how bright the light, it will always cast a shadow. No matter how deep the darkness, there will always be some light. You're right Tyr—there is no black and white. Only shades of gray."

"That was a terrible book," Tyr pointed out.

"I wasn't a fan either." The platinum haired woman giggled. "I thought it was rather charming in how oddly it depicted an S and M relationship."

"…And what would you know about that?"

"My mom and dad are like that. Plus, weren't you and that Chrysalis woman that way?"

Tyr blinked. He hadn't thought about Chrissy since the departure of the Equestrians, although he was constantly aware of her absence. The sudden reminder made him frown. "…I believe so…"

Isabel frowned, her dulled eyes glancing in the direction of his voice. "I reminded you of something painful, didn't I?"

"It's no big deal…"

"No, I can tell. You miss her, don't you?"

"Of course I do. I… loved her."

"Loved?"

"Not like I loved Luna." He frowned, trying to explain. "Chrys was… dear to me. I guess it's because I owned her in a sense, so I felt responsible for her…"

Isabel was silent for a while. She didn't speak as they entered the clearing that held the temporary Gate back to the Library, but she gripped his arm a little tighter just before they reached it. "…I hope you see them again," She said softly. "All of them."

Tyr glanced over at her, finding a serious expression on his companion's face. "What?"

"I inherited a little bit of my mother's empathic powers," Isabel explained with a gentle smile. "And I was watching you for some time. I know you miss them terribly, so I hope you find a way to go after them."

"…Thanks Isabel."

"Of course!" She smiled. "I consider you a friend, Tyr. Now, let us go home. I'm hungry and wish to take a shower."

-x-


	2. Chapter 2

**And I'm back again, with yet another Record. This one follows to similar yet different ponies, one every color of the rainbow and the other snow white.**

 **Chaddmychal: Glad you're enjoying the shorts as well!**

 **Guest: Thanks! It was a bit of work making sure I could connect the two stories, and this way made the most sense.**

 **Derpy101: You're right, Luna and Tyr would love one another no matter what form either were in. But onto the other comment you left.**

 **Now, as a brony myself, I have to admit I wasn't that big on telling others that I liked a show catering to young girls. I'm a guy myself, and to most that would be denying my manhood. But at the same time, what about guys who like pink? What you like doesn't have to define you. I've seen plenty of video of the FiM conventions, and the majority of the crowds at those things are men probably twice your age or more. I was lucky that my girlfriend was into MLP just as much as I am, and it's something that the two of us can enjoy together. Plus, after posting LoTM, I've become part of a much larger fanbase, nay community. Sure, a lot of people in my life don't know I write MLP fanfiction, or that I like MLP at all. Many of them never will. But the few that do accept what I do, and even if they don't like it themselves, they don't judge me. Your true friends will accept you no matter what, and I can't help but think about Twilight's "True True Friend" song. So my advice is, wait until you meet people you know you can trust. Being a brony isn't something to lead with, but at the same time know that even if you can't tell anyone in real life for a while, there are others out there going through the same thing. So stay strong, don't give up, and find those true friends that'll stick with you till the end.**

 **So! That was a speech and a half. Without further ado, let's get onto the chapter, shall we?**

* * *

Proving Loyalties

"I really want to go see him!" Rainbow groaned, tossing herself back on her bed. Applejack and Fluttershy glanced over at her. The three of them were staying in Twilight's old Canterlot home, at least until Ponyville was recovered from the Everfree. Twilight herself was staying at the castle, working alongside Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to keep the now much larger populace of Canterlot under control. Rarity and Pinkie were staying in Canterlot Carousel, so it was just the three of them, now that Rainbow was out of the hospital.

"You're talking about Ace, right?" Fluttershy asked softly.

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Of course she's talking about Ace. You know she's been wanting ta see that feller forever!"

"Not forever!" Rainbow snapped, sitting up. Applejack and Fluttershy were sitting on the other bed, seated beside one another. "It doesn't help that you two are always showing off in front of me!"

Fluttershy and Applejack looked at one another. "Oh, I'm so sorry Rainbow Dash. We didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Fluttershy claimed, but her rainbow haired friend was already falling back on her bed.

"…It's not your fault," The blue mare said, rolling onto her side. "Ace has just been busy with all his Captain of the Guard stuff, and I still can't fly…"

She extended one of her blue wings, showing the bandages that still wrapped the base of it. "I still say you were lucky not ta lose it," Applejack pointed out.

"I agree with you there, AJ. The docs say I should be back up in the air before long."

"So you can't visit Ace?" Fluttershy asked. "You two are married, so I'm sure he'd make time for you…"

"Of course Ace would make time, but I never know what he's doing or where he is!"

Applejack thought for a moment. "Well, that does seem like a problem. Can't y'all send each other messages?"

"We've tried," Rainbow said with a sigh. "Essentially, unless I get Scoots to take the message, it won't get to him that quick."

Scootaloo was one of the new Royal Messengers, so she was taking correspondence for the Princesses themselves. She probably didn't have much contact with the Captain of the Guard, who was also her adoptive father. "You all seem to have it so hard," Fluttershy said softly.

"…You have no idea."

"Hey," Applejack said suddenly. "Why don't y'all go talk ta Twilight? She should know where Ace is, right?"

"Hey, yeah!" Rainbow sat up, a grin on her face. "Twilight has to know where he is!"

"You should probably go soon," Fluttershy said. "So that Twilight isn't busy either."

"Right! I'll go right now!" She hopped to her hooves, almost automatically extending her wings. But before she tried to take off, she caught herself. "Right. No flying. Guess I gotta gallop."

"Use them hooves for something useful why don't ya?" Applejack teased. Rainbow shot her a look before rushing out the door. The farm pony and animal lover stayed there in silence for a little while. "…I reckon she's halfway to the castle by now."

"You're probably right," Fluttershy said with a small laugh. "If she could fly, she'd be there already."

Applejack nuzzled her marefriend, getting a little giggle. "So that means we got the place all to ourselves, sugar."

"…What were thinking we should do?"

"I think you can guess, Shy."

"These are the food reports you asked for, Princess Twilight," A brown haired unicorn guard said, levitating a stack of papers over. The purple Alicorn in front of him took hold of the papers and quickly began going through them all. She blew an errant strand of her violet mane out of her face.

"This isn't good," Twilight Sparkle murmured, looking over the numbers. According to reports, unless a new source of food was located, ponies would begin to starve. The population of Canterlot was too high for the sources of food they still had. Although if the scouts returned with good news about the southern farmlands… "Has any word come from the other farmlands?"

"Not as of yet," the guard said. "Although the lands around Dodge Junction and Appleloosa are beginning to run again."

"That's good news, at least." Twilight smiled. "You're dismissed. Thank you."

"Of course, Princess." The guard took his leave. Twilight continued looking over the reports until she heard the door to her room open and close again. She looked up to find an orange pegasus guard with a short blue mane and tail standing beside the door. He was in full armor, but wore a solid white cloak with gold trim about his shoulders. A blue shield with a lightning bolt symbol on it was placed near the collar. Twilight dropped the stack of papers, her mouth opening in surprise.

"Flash!" She flew to him, wrapping her hooves around him and planting a kiss on his lips. The Royal Knight laughed quietly and embraced her back, kissing her as strongly as she kissed him.

"How did I know you'd be that happy to see me?" He said with a chuckle once they separated.

"It's been a month," Twilight pointed out, smiling. "Did everything go okay with the Griffons?"

"They agreed to do what they can to help," Flash said. The two of them broke apart. Flash removed his helmet, shaking his mane free. "By the sun I'm happy to take that thing off. Helmets are stifling."

"Plus they hide that handsome face of yours," Twilight teased. Flash rolled his eyes and came over. His wife was busy gathering up the papers she had dropped. Her violet magic quickly re-stacked them and set them on a nearby desk.

"Well, I'd rather just wear the cloak."

"Not enjoying the perks of your station, Lieutenant?"

"Bah. You know me. I do a captain's work while I'm still a lieutenant."

Twilight giggled. "Oh, you know Ace is working hard too."

"Yeah… I guess. I'm done with missions for the time being, so…?"

"So what?"

Flash chuckled. "I thought maybe you'd want to go out sometime? Grab some dinner somewhere?"

Twilight beamed. "Of course Flash. I'd love nothing more," She told him softly.

"Great then! I guess I should go report to Princess Celestia—"

"Oh no you don't." Twilight teleported in front of him in an instant. She put her front hooves on his shoulders. "I finally get to see my husband in a month, and you're going to try and run off to Princess Celestia?"

"Well if you'd like me to stay…" He smiled, leaning in close.

"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash suddenly burst in, slamming the door open. The two other ponies inside jumped at her arrival, moving apart. The athletic pony paused for a moment, looking at the two of them. "Uh… were you two making out or something?"

"N-No!" Twilight stammered.

Flash rolled his eyes. "Almost."

Rainbow glanced between the two of them. "Right… Anyway, it's perfect I found both of you."

"Why? Something come up?"

"Are the girls okay?" Twilight asked, obviously worried. But Rainbow waved a dismissive hoof.

"I just wanted to ask a question," Rainbow told her. "Have either of you seen Ace?"

"Ace?" Flash frowned. "I thought he was still in the castle."

The blue pegasus's face brightened up immediately. "He is?"

"I think I saw him down at the barracks," Twilight said. "I think he was—"

"Yes!" Rainbow dashed for the door. "Thanks guys!"

"And, she's gone…" Flash muttered.

Rainbow was too happy to worry about them, as she galloped down the halls to the outer yard. She knew where the barracks were, as she had gone to them many times before. "He's gonna be so surprised," She said to herself. But this time around, when the barracks came into sight, she slowed to a walk, and then a stop. She could see him. Her loving husband, Ace Guard.

With another mare.

Now, it wasn't unusual for her to see the pure white pegasus with a mare—there were plenty of mares in the guard, and as Captain it wasn't surprising to see him interacting with some of them. But the mare talking to Ace was none other than Spitfire, the flame haired mare that was currently captain of the Wonderbolts. She was in her dress uniform, while Ace was wearing his Royal Knight cloak. They were laughing, and whatever they were talking about was not business related. As Rainbow watched from her spot, she saw Spitfire put a hoof around Ace's shoulder, and she nuzzled him affectionately. Ace simply smiled and returned the hug, grinning widely.

Rainbow had seen enough.

"Something up, Ace?" Spitfire asked, noticing the all-white pegasus's eyes suddenly dart over. She let him go so she could stand apart from him. "You look like you saw something."

"I thought I saw…" Ace frowned, his blood red eyes scanning the area. After a short minute of looking, he let out a soft sigh. "…Well, maybe I didn't see anything."

The Element of Loyalty smashed the door of her temporary home inwards, storming up to her bed. Applejack and Fluttershy, in the kitchen, glanced over as she came in. They watched her pass by in silence before Applejack spoke up. "Uh… you alright sugarcube?"

"HE'S CHEATING ON ME!" Rainbow yelled, falling onto her bed and screaming into a pillow.

The other two mares glanced at one another. "What are you going on about, RD?"

"I saw Ace with her!" Rainbow said, sitting up. "I went up to the castle, talked to Twilight and Flash, and they told me Ace was at the barracks. So I go to the barracks, and Spitfire has her hooves all around him!"

"Oh, Flash is home?" Fluttershy remarked. Both Applejack and Rainbow gave her flat looks. She blushed and shrunk back. "…Sorry."

"So you saw Ace with another mare," Applejack said, coming over to her distraught friend. "Did ya go over and talk to him, make sure you weren't getting the wrong idea?"

"…No." Rainbow muttered. "…I saw him and Spitfire and I just… ran away."

"Oh, Rainbow…" Fluttershy sighed. "You should have gone to talk to him. You trust him, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"Then y'all ought to go back and talk to him. This is probably some kind of misunderstanding."

"But… but what if it's not? What if… what if Ace is tired of me? A pegasus that can't fly…"

"I think you're underestimating my brother," a melodic voice called out. The three mares looked over to see a pure white unicorn wheeling herself into the house. It was Heart Song, her long white mane styled back in a braid. "Hello everypony!"

"Heart Song!" Rainbow exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw you gallop past earlier," the unicorn said with a small smile. "I called out to you, but I suppose you didn't hear me."

"Sorry about that…"

"So you followed after her?" Fluttershy asked.

"Sort of." Song rolled herself over to beside the bed Rainbow was sitting on. She gestured with one hoof to Rainbow's hair. Because of how long her rainbow mane had gotten, the blue pegasus had taken to wearing it in a ponytail tied with a white band. A white feather was tied into it as well. "I've put enough magic into those feathers to find them anywhere."

Applejack took a closer look. "That's one of Ace's feathers, isn't it?"

"Uh huh. I followed the magical 'scent' you could say."

"So what did you mean by saying I underestimated Ace?" Rainbow asked.

"I'm a crippled pony," Heart Song said simply, gesturing to her near-useless rear legs. "I've barely been able to walk for over two thirds of my life. Compare that to a Pegasus, and you'd think I'm dead weight. But never once has my brother ever thought I held him back."

"But…!"

Heart gave her a hard look. "You know as well as I do that Ace would never cheat on you, Rainbow. You were the mare of his dreams, and he loves you. My big brother would _never_ cheat on you."

Rainbow let out a heavy sigh. "…I guess I should go talk to him…"

"Yes, you should."

"You should hurry," Fluttershy said. "I overheard one of the guards saying that Ace will be going to Maretania for an extended period."

Rainbow's magenta eyes widened. "Extended… stay? No way!" She jumped up, and bolted out of the door. The other three mares were silent for a bit.

"So… Heart Song," Fluttershy said. "Do you want to stay for dinner?"

The white unicorn grinned. "Of course!"

Rainbow ran into a violet filly upon reentering the castle for the second time today. "Oof!" She exclaimed, sliding to a stop.

"Owie!"

Rainbow rubbed at her head. "Uh, sorry about that—Aurora?"

The dark violet Alicorn filly blinked several times before gasping in recognition. "Rainbow Dash!"

The blue pegasus got back to her hooves. The daughter of Luna was almost a miniature version of her mother, save for having a dark violet coat and a normal dark blue mane. Her eyes were pure silver. "Aurora, I didn't expect to see you. What are you up to, squirt?"

"Gonna go see my mommy!" Aurora told her with a wide grin. Then, her expression changed to one of curiosity. "…Are you here to see mommy too?"

"No, I'm here to see Ace. Have you seen him?"

"Um… I saw Mr. Ace talking to Miss Spitfire a little while ago. I think they're in the garden."

"Thanks kid!" Rainbow galloped away, making a beeline for the garden. She passed by a number of guards as she ran, most of them only remarking in surprise. The garden was not even that far away, and she made it there in record time. Although… where were they? It wasn't like the garden had ridiculously tall hedges or anything. As she scanned around, she felt a soft tap on her shoulder. "Gah!"

"Oh?" Celestia remarked, raising an eyebrow. The tall white Alicorn seemed quite amused at Rainbow's reaction. "I didn't think I was that quiet."

"Princess!" Rainbow gasped. "I wasn't expecting you to be here!"

Celestia giggled. "I live here, Rainbow."

"…Oh. Right. You do. My bad."

"…Is something bothering you?"

"I just… want to see Ace."

"Ah, I see. Something you need to talk to him about?"

"…Yes."

"Alright. He's over there," Celestia said, pointing with one hoof. Rainbow followed her gesture to see Ace and Spitfire rounding a corner.

"Thanks Princess!" Rainbow trotted over to where her husband was. Ace and Spitfire were having what seemed to be a pretty comfortable conversation, until Ace spotted Rainbow coming over to them. There was surprise on his face.

"Dashie?" He exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," Rainbow said. She gave Spitfire a sidelong glance. "…Hey Spitfire."

"Rainbow Dash!" The captain of the Wonderbolts gave her a grin. "Haven't seen you in ages! Ace told me about your wing—tough stuff that."

Rainbow glanced back at her wounded wing. "…It'll heal."

"Gotta be rough to not be able to fly."

"I'm dealing with it," Rainbow said, a little harsher than she intended. She glanced over at Ace. "…So? You've been spending all your time with Spitfire?"

"We've been working…" Ace trailed off, only for his eyes to widen. "Wait one sec. Dashie, I'm not cheating on you."

Somehow, Ace had known exactly what she had been afraid of, told her exactly what she needed to hear, and defused the situation in seconds. Rainbow couldn't believe her ears. "What!?"

"Oh buck," Spitfire face-hoofed before breaking out into laughter. "That's what you thought? Celestia's name, Rainbow, we're _cousins_!"

Rainbow stared at the two of them for a long minute. She opened her mouth to speak, but only managed a confused "…What?"

"Spitfire is my cousin on my mom's side," Ace explained. "And since she's captain of the Wonderbolts, I coordinate with her when it comes to rescue operations."

"And today was a day off," Spitfire continued. "So we were catching up. Awkward that you thought we were… rutting."

The blue pegasus was flabbergasted. "But… how… did you know… what I was thinking?"

Ace shrugged. "Lucky guess?"

Rainbow blushed slightly, turning away. The truth of the matter was that she had never caught the two of them doing anything two close friends wouldn't. Suddenly, she felt very foolish. "…Sorry," She muttered.

Ace walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. "Oh, Dashie. You know I love you babe—I'd never betray your trust."

"I know, I just… I dunno what I was thinking." She buried her face in his snow white mane. "…Sorry Ace."

"It's okay Dashie. Whenever something is up, just talk to me. I know I'm busy, but I'll always make time for you—"

"I'm pregnant," Rainbow whispered.

Ace blinked several times before pushing Dash out to arms-length. "…Say what now?"

"I said I'm pregnant," the blue mare said, almost defiantly. Her magenta eyes met Ace's red ones. "With child. Bun in the oven. Storm in the cloud. I can go on, you know."

"No, I get the gist of it…" Ace chuckled, but then a wide grin split his face. "We're… we're gonna have a baby?"

"I'm pretty sure that's what 'pregnant' means, dummy."

"This is… I mean, this is amazing! When did you find out?"

"Why didn't you tell anypony?" Spitfire asked.

"The doctors told me about a week before I was discharged," Rainbow explained. She smiled softly. "Looks like we're going to have another addition to the family, huh?"

"A very welcome one," Ace said, kissing her. "A very welcome one."

While the couple embraced in both relief and excitement, Spitfire decided to take her leave. She was just about to enter the castle when she ran into Princess Celestia. "Oh, hey Princess."

"Spitfire," Celestia replied. She glanced over at Rainbow and Ace, and a soft smile crossed her face. "They seem quite happy."

"Wish I could share it with them."

The tall Alicorn glanced over at the other pegasus. "What do you mean? You do not begrudge them their happiness?"

Spitfire chuckled. "Of course not! I just owe Soarin thirty bits. Feather-head bet me Rainbow would be a mother before she was a full Wonderbolt."

-x-

Mercy peeked around a corner to find Tyr seated at a table, numerous books arrayed around him. He was eating from a bag of potato chips as he read, flipping pages leisurely and taking notes. The woman moved closer, only for him to turn and glance back at her. "Oh, it's you Mercy."

"You heard me coming?" She asked, a bit surprised.

"Wolves have good hearing," Fenrir pointed out, popping up from the other side of the table. Mercy smiled at that.

"I suppose that's fair. What are you reading about?"

"Vampires," Tyr responded. Mercy blinked several times before frowning.

"If you wanted to know about vampires, why not ask Jehu directly?"

"Because you and I both know Jehu is not normal," Tyr said. He frowned. "Just the other day he was wearing some ridiculous outfit and carrying some weird transforming cane. Said he had participated in some hunt."

"Ah, right. I remember. He won't get rid of that top hat."

Tyr set down his book and glanced over at Mercy. He didn't see much of the woman when he was at the Library, and he hadn't ever gone with her on the missions she took. She was more of an enigma than Jehu was. So maybe this would be a decent time to talk to her. "Mercy, you got a minute?"

"I have nothing pressing at the moment, so I suppose I can." She moved over to the other side of the table, pulling out a chair to sit in. "What did you need?"

"I wanted to know about you," Tyr said, frowning. "I hardly know a thing about you."

Mercy looked thoughtful for a moment, twirling a strand of her long black hair around her finger. "This is true. I suppose it's just like Aunt Nirvana said: If you never ask, you never Learn."

"I suppose that's a phrase to live by."

"So what did you want to know?"

"…How did you and Jehu meet?" Tyr asked. It was one question that had been nagging him for his entire stay at the Library. Jehu was… eccentric to put it plainly, while Mercy was more focused and quiet. Sometimes he even wondered how the two of them got along. But the reaction from the woman across from him was surprising. She began to laugh. "Is something funny?"

"No, your face is just very readable," Mercy said, smiling. The raven haired woman never smiled widely like Jehu did, instead smiling delicately. But sometimes when she was sufficiently amused, her vibrant green eyes sparkled. "Well, I guess it helps that I'm an empath."

"I remember Isabel saying something along those lines…"

Mercy crossed her legs and smoothed out her skirt. "Well, to answer your question, I've known Jehu since he was twelve."

Both Tyr and Fenrir blinked at that. "Since he was… twelve?"

"Yes." The woman nodded. "I should probably clarify. I'm not human like Jehu is… er, was. I am from a race known as Shadows, denizens of another world we called Umbra. Outsiders call it the Shadow Realm."

"How original," Fenrir muttered. Mercy laughed lightly.

"Quite. We Shadows required mana to survive in Jehu's world, and Mages like Jehu were those we contacted. My father, the former Umbral King, made a pact with the most powerful Mage in Jehu's world. With the Pact, for every Mage that passed a particular test, a Shadow would be assigned to them from the Shadow Realm."

"So Jehu passed this test I'm guessing," Tyr said.

"With flying colors," Mercy said with a nod. "He was the youngest Mage to ever pass the test. And then I was bound to him."

"Bound?"

"A life for a life. If he dies, I die."

Tyr's eyes narrowed. "…Like my connection to Chrissy."

"But even stronger," Mercy pointed out. "My death would send Jehu into a catatonic state… or a state of pure unstoppable rage."

She smiled at that, causing Tyr to raise an eyebrow. "Something funny?"

"Oh, just memories."

"Right… so you and Jehu ended up getting married?"

Mercy nodded. "I proposed. There were a lot of… relationship issues at the same time, but what better companion to share your life with than one who knows your every thought?"

"A fair point."

"Why all the sudden interest in my marriage?"

Tyr scratched at the back of his neck. "It's just… you and Jehu sometimes don't look like you get along."

Mercy stared at him in confusion. Then she laughed. "Oh, don't let our usual routine confuse you. Jehu and I are very much in love."

"You can say that again," The man in question said, suddenly appearing behind his wife. The woman's green eyes snapped open wide, along with a pair of angelic white wings on her back. Tyr and Fenrir watched in amusement as the pale woman blushed.

"J-Jehu!" Mercy whined. "What have I told you about sneaking up on me?"

"You know I can't help it," The dark skinned man said, grinning. He wrapped his arms around his wife. "Plus you make the most adorable reactions when I do."

"You're incorrigible."

"You know it!" Jehu glanced over at Tyr. He let out a low whistle. "Someone's studying."

"He who fights monsters must first study them," Tyr said with a shrug.

"So you're planning to hunt vampires? My ex-wife would find issue with that."

Tyr raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask the obvious question. "I wasn't planning on that, actually."

"Good. Because vampires are a pain to kill."

"You've tried?"

"A few times," Jehu said sadly. But then he brightened back up. "So you're doing research huh? Find anything interesting?"

"Other than the most effective way to kill a Naga? No."

"Well that's not bad. Naga are nasty."

"Lamia are not that bad," Mercy pointed out. "Just… always horny."

Tyr grinned. "Sounds like you two have some… experience."

"Mercy has experience," Jehu said, while his wife blushed.

The raven haired woman frowned. "I go to one world populated with Lamia, and I never hear the end of it…"

Jehu grinned but decided to switch topics. "Anyways, Tyr—I've got more work for ya."

Tyr frowned. "What do you need?"

"Isabel and Willow are going to a world for a goodwill mission," Jehu explained. He ran his fingers through Mercy's hair. "Healing the wounded and sick and all that. You'll be their protection."

"Protection? From what I've seen, Isabel can handle herself."

"Not if she's busy healing," Mercy pointed out. "And we're trying for a positive view of her and Willow."

"So we hunt in the shadows?" Fenrir seemed quite pleased by that idea.

Tyr stood up from his seat. Metal clinked against metal as the mismatched armor he wore under his cloak moved. He had assembled the armor over his many trips out of the Library, mostly light armor for mobility. "I guess I'll get ready then. Maybe I can find some ingredients while I'm out."

"Still working on the alchemy?" Mercy asked. The man nodded.

"It—oddly enough—almost seems to come naturally. Maybe I've got a talent for it?"

"Perhaps. Good luck Tyr."

"I'll see you both later. Come on Fen." The miniature wolf-girl jumped up to Tyr's shoulder, and then the man left. Mercy and Jehu watched him go until he left sight. Then the raven haired woman let out a sigh.

"You're never going to tell him, are you?"

"I want him to find it on his own," Jehu said, taking Tyr's abandoned seat. He flipped open the book Tyr had been reading, noticing a folded corner. The other man had apparently been reading about how to break mind control. "Well well…"

"What if he never thinks of it?"

"Then maybe one of these years I tell him." Jehu's playful demeanor fell away, and his violet eyes narrowed. When he spoke again, none of the usual joviality was there, instead replaced by a dead seriousness. "He's not immortal. I wouldn't keep it from him forever."

"True enough, I suppose."

"On top of that, he's not ready. He fought Leo of the Zodiac and would have lost if not for his dragonkin friend. What happens if he faces Capricorn or Cancer? I highly doubt he could fight either of them. He still needs time."

"So we just wait for him to figure it out on his own?" Mercy frowned. "What if he doesn't take you keeping this from him well?"

Jehu was silent for a long minute. "…He's welcome to try killing me."

"You know he can't."

"Then all the more he figures it out, right?" Jehu glanced over at her. "Are you suggesting we just tell him?"

Mercy's frown didn't go away but when she spoke it was less accusatory. More empathetic. "I know we're waiting, Master. Without him, we can't go forward on any plan we might have."

The Chaos Mage sighed and leaned back in his chair. "You know what I miss? Being able to just engage our enemies when we knew them. Bring the fight to them, none of this working behind the scenes. Simpler times, you know?"

"The war with Babylon was… easier."

"It's just frustrating," Jehu said, holding one hand up to the ceiling. Violet energy crackled between his fingers. "To have all this power at my fingertips, but know that I can't do anything. I have to have someone else do the work for me."

Mercy was silent for a while. "…So now we know how Harmony felt."

Jehu paused. Then, a soft laugh escaped his lips. "Yeah. Well, hopefully Tyr turns out to be the champion we're looking for."

-x-


	3. Chapter 3

**Greeting, dear Readers. I actually lost track of time writing this chapter, and ended up having to finish it early this morning. Drive In movies are fun to go to, but you come home really tired afterwards.**

 **Chaddmychal: Lucky for me, no spoilers in answering your question. Tyr was looking up Mind Control in order to be prepared for someone (or something) with powers similar to Leo's Obedience. And Jehu can't make Tyr immortal without giving him his own immortality, and by extension his own life. Not stopping vampiric transformation, but Tyr isn't a fan of that.**

 **theflammablefiredragon: Told ya I wouldn't be gone for long ;D And of course I can't outdo FDR. Nobody outdoes old Teddy. Jehu is a man of many secrets, and eventually the Library will reveal all. And I do have a name for Rainbow and Ace's kid; In fact, it's in this chapter.**

 **Dragonlord Ryukioku: Jehu: Interreality Man of Mystery. And yes, the Lamia world is open to visitors. Just make sure you have good health insurance or an iron pelvis. Lamia like to... cuddle.**

 **Derpy101: I like to take the time to respond to comments if I can. Hope everything works out for you, and thanks for reviewing and even asking for my advice!**

 **Kevin Lapse: I do remember that review, actually. My editor in chief (read; girlfriend) pointed out that if she hadn't asked me how to pronounce Tyr's name the first chapter I showed her, she would have been calling him "Tire" the entire story herself. And don't worry, if any weird names come up in Lunar Legacy, I'll be sure to include a footnote for pronunciation.**

 **And now, one day late:**

* * *

 **Not Far from the Tree**

"Oh, thank goodness Aloe and Lotus made it through the Merge," Rarity was saying, lying back on the reclining chair she was in. Sliced cucumbers were over her eyes, and blue-green paste was spread over her face. Beside her, Fluttershy simply giggled.

"I know you missed our weekly spa days," the yellow pegasus said with a giggle. "I think it's just wonderful that they managed to push the Everfree back from Ponyville."

Rarity nodded. "Quite indeed. Canterlot is a wonderful city, but sometimes you just miss home."

"Uh huh."

"Speaking of home…" Rarity's horn lit up and she levitated one of the cucumber slices off her face. Her blue eye regarded her friend curiously. "You haven't been staying in your cottage, have you?"

Fluttershy blushed. "Well, no…"

"Oh my… you've been staying with Applejack, haven't you?" Rarity grinned. Somewhat embarrassed, the other mare let her pink mane fall to cover her face. "Oh come now dear, there's nothing to be ashamed of. Pinkie has been staying with me, after all."

"I know but… the ponies around town look at us weird when we walk together…"

Rarity huffed. "Nopony does that to me or Pinkie-winkle!"

Fluttershy shrugged, but didn't say anything. Two other mares came in then, one pink with a shining blue mane and the other was blue with a pink mane and tail. The Spa Sisters Aloe and Lotus, everypony called them. They were the best spa managers in this region of Equestria. Ever since the Everfree forest had been pushed back, life in Ponyville had returned to almost normal. Apparently when the six Elements of Harmony returned to the Castle of Friendship, the castle itself had radiated a magic field that had pushed the forest back from the town. With that done, the town was quickly repopulated.

"Fluttershy," Rarity said after a moment. "Have you and Applejack given any thought to adopting?"

"Adopting?" The other mare looked at her friend in confusion. "Why do you think…?"

"I believe you would make a wonderful mother, Fluttershy! Why, with your gentle nature and Applejack's tough love, you would be wonderful mothers."

"Maybe you're right, but I haven't talked to Jackie about it…"

"I believe you should. Pinkie and I absolutely adore our two fillies."

Fluttershy was thoughtful. Sure, she was a nurturing type, and wanted to raise children of her own. But was Applejack? The hard working pony was work oriented, so she might not want to try raising foals. But then again, adopting meant they didn't have to be foals, they could be already young colts or fillies. And how many did they want? Or which genders? "…I'll talk to Jackie about it when I get home," She promised.

"I'm sure Applejack will be willing to listen if anything. Now, let us enjoy the rest of our time, no?"

"Jackie?" Fluttershy whispered, entering the Apple family home. She didn't expect anypony to be home, since it was still well into the middle of the day. Big Mac and Applejack would most likely still be out in the apple fields working. Hopefully, she'd have some time to—

"Fluttershy!" A voice cried out in glee. The yellow mare only had a moment before she was wrapped up in brown and gray in a sort of serpentine hug. It took her all of four seconds to realize who was hugging her.

"…Discord?"

"Why hello my dear Element of Kindness!" The dragonequus said with a grin. "It's been a while since I've seen you!"

As if to punctuate his statement, his eyes grew much larger than his face should allow. Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle. True, she and Discord had seen very little of each other for the past while, but she had been expecting to see him way sooner than this. "Well, it is nice to ee you, Discord. How have you been?"

"Oh, just the same old same old, causing mischief and whatnot wherever I go."

"Oh, that's always nice."

"And what about you, Fluttershy? I still wanted to know how that other world was."

The pegasus mare was silent for a bit. "…I don't know if I'm ready to talk about it yet, Discord." She moved into the kitchen, deciding to get started on dinner for the day. Discord, obviously put off, followed after.

"Why not?" The Spirit of Disharmony frowned. "It can't have been all that bad. I heard that there was a battle and everything!" Discord suddenly was wearing a military uniform. "It must have been glorious! Tales of heroism, kindness, valor and all that jazz?"

Fluttershy frowned. She had been away from the fighting for the most part, dealing with the wounded. She had seen some of the Zodiac warriors up close, but Grace and Zecora had dealt with them swiftly. Past that, there had been the fight in the main hall where Rarity and Rainbow had been hurt. She personally had to pull Rainbow out of the fighting. Even now, so long after the event, she still had nightmares about what she had seen. She was just lucky Princess Luna was still doing her nighttime jobs despite the pain she herself had been dealing with. Losing her husband must really hurt a pony's mental stability… "…It wasn't glorious, Discord. Have you never seen war?"

"Of course I have!" Discord complained. "I mean, I've never participated, but I've seen from a distance. All the noise and things flashing, sounds like a lot of good fun."

"It's not," Fluttershy said, softly yet firmly. "There was a lot of blood, death, and pain, and I _never_ wish to experience that again. One day I'll be comfortable talking about it, but not yet."

To his credit, the dragonequus didn't react with a quip or some off hand joke. Instead, he stayed silent, coiling himself into a chair. After a long minute watching Fluttershy start to cook, he spoke up. "…Very well then. Applejack is coming in."

Fluttershy turned just as the orange farm pony came trotting in. "Jackie!" She exclaimed happily. Without thinking much of it, she went over to Applejack and embraced her, placing a loving kiss on her lips.

"Well, I reckon that's a great way to be welcomed home," She said with a chuckle. The orange mare ran one hoof through her wife's mane. "Good ta see ya, Shy."

"Aren't we bold now," Discord muttered amusingly.

At the reminder that the other creature was in the room, Fluttershy blushed heavily. "Oh! Discord…"

Applejack frowned. "We are married after all, Discord. Or does that bother you?"

"Bother me? Oh, perish the thought!" Discord chuckled. "I've read enough stories pairing me up with somepony, and let me tell you, I'd rather date my own sister."

"You have a sister?"

"Figure of speech, my dear Applejack."

Fluttershy simply smiled. "I can be a little more bold when I have Jackie by my side. I can forget about all the stares and stuff."

Applejack frowned, glancing down at the floor. "…Sorry about that, sugarcube…"

"What? Why?"

"I know you don't like ponies staring at ya and the like, but now that you're with me that's all that happens…" The farm pony sighed. "At least Rarity and Pinkie have their reputations to get rid a that sort of thing."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Rarity's a big time dressmaker, ad Pinkie has a rap for being… well, Pinkie. Nopony looks at them weird."

Fluttershy thought for a moment. "Are there… any other same sex couples?"

"Well," Discord suddenly had a monocle on and a list in his claws. He adjusted it and cleared his throat. "Let's see here… Ponyville Same-sex couples… Ah, here we are. Lyra Heartstrings and Sweetie Drops, no surprises there… Ooh, Octavia Melody and Vinyl Scratch? A bit surprised there. Opposites attract, I suppose. There's Rarity and Pinkie of course and then… you two. Seems out of all of them, you two are the only openly gay couple."

"…I really don't like that word."

"Sorry, I suppose."

"So Rarity and Pinkie aren't… out the closet?" Applejack asked, a little confused.

"They are, just… well most ponies probably just chalked it up to Pinkie being Pinkie."

"Fair enough…"

"Um!" Fluttershy spoke up. "Discord… can I speak to Applejack in private please?"

The dragonequus blinked several times in confusion, but eventually let out a sigh and got up. "Fine then. Have your little family talk."

Applejack raised one eyebrow as the Spirit of Disharmony left the room. After he was gone, she turned to her wife. "…Something up, Shy?"

"There was something I wanted to talk to you about," Fluttershy said, gesturing to a nearby chair. She and Applejack took seats at the new Apple family dining table, made by Applebloom herself. After returning to Equestria, the youngest member of the Apple family had taken any extra wood she could get her hands on and refurbished a large number of the house's furniture. Fluttershy took a moment to collect her thoughts. "Applejack… are you happy with me?"

The orange pony blinked. "W-What? Of course I am! Why would ya ask something like that?"

"I don't mean I'm unhappy being married or anything, I just…!" Fluttershy faltered for a moment, staring down at the floor. "Um…"

Applejack let a gentle smile cross her face. "Shy. Y'all can talk ta me about anything, ya know that, right?"

"Yes…"

"So whatever is bothering ya, ya could just tell me." She reached out with one hoof to tilt Fluttershy's face up so that their eyes could meet. "I'm always here to listen."

"I…" Fluttershy blushed. "Um… right then. You know how… all our friends have… um… kids now?"

"Huh?" Applejack thought for a minute. "Well, I reckon that's true. Twilight and Flash just had little Evening Star not to long past, didn't they?"

"Uh huh."

"And Rainbow just had her son too, right? What was his name again…?"

"Vibrant Spark," Fluttershy offered.

"And Then Rarity and Pinkie have Jubilee and Exuberance…"

"Right."

"So… you wanted ta…" Now it was Applejack's turn to blush. "Ah. You… wanna have kids of our own?"

Fluttershy nodded quickly. "Uh huh."

"Oh. I see. But uh… how? Were ya thinking of... doing the same thing as Rarity and Pinkie?"

"No, no I don't think I could do that…" She blushed heavily. "I don't even know if there's anyone I trust enough for that sort of thing…"

"Right."

"So… maybe adoption?"

"You're comfortable with that?"

"I think so. As much as I'd love to carry and give birth to my own foals, without someone to provide the seed..."

Applejack nodded. "So we'd adopt."

"I'm sure there's plenty of colts or fillies that need a good home," Fluttershy said with a small smile. Applejack smiled as well, knowing that any colt or filly lucky enough to be loved by Fluttershy would no doubt be happy.

"So when did you want to go?"

"How about tomorrow? Big Mac can cover for you while we're gone, right?"

The orange mare grinned. "He'll have ta. I got responsibilities."

~x~

"Hey, small fry," A dark grey colt said, coming across the orphanage's playground with a group of other colts behind him. The target of his comment was a small brown pegasus with a golden mane and tail. She was facing away from them, leaned over something. At the sound of the voice, she glanced back. She panicked upon seeing the group approach. "Whatcha got there?"

"N-Nothing, Lug Nut," The filly said, trying to back away. But she had been in a corner of the playground, and there was nothing she could do to get away. "I was j-just minding my own business…"

"She's got something, Lug," One of the other colts said, coming forward. "And she's hiding it."

"I-I'm not hiding anything?"

Lug Nut pushed forward, towering over the small filly. "Show me what ya got."

"I swear, I don't have any—!" She didn't get to say any more, for another of the colts came over and roughly shoved her to the side. The little filly squeaked in pain as she thudded to the ground, but none of the colts cared. With her out of the way, it was revealed that she had been standing in front of a little flower. It was defiantly growing amongst the rockier part of the grounds, petals open to take in the sunlight. A little cup halfway full of water was sitting beside it, indicating the filly had been attempting to water it.

"A flower?" Lug Nut muttered, obviously surprised. "She was hiding a flower?"

"Don't hurt it, please!" The filly cried, trying to get back to it. But the colt that had pushed her down blocked her again and she was knocked back to the ground.

Lug Nut shook his head. "I told you not to hide stuff from me, Golden Grove," He said, frowning. With a deliberate motion, he lifted his hoof up and stomped down on the flower.

"NO!" Golden Grove screamed, but couldn't do anything but break down and cry. "Why… why do you have to be so mean…!"

"Mean? I told you not to hide stuff from me. This is just like the time you hid that bear of yours from me."

"But… I didn't do anything to you…"

Lug Nut laughed, the other colts laughing as well. "Does it matter? I'm stronger than you, so—!"

"What's going on over here?" A deep voice asked. They all looked over to find a tall green colt standing over them, his eyes narrowed.

"…Bramley," Lug Nut said, a bit of fear in his voice. "What… uh… Did you want something?"

"Why are you bullying Golden Grove?"

"I ain't bullying her!"

"You hurt the flower…!" Golden Grove said, sniffling as she crawled over to the destroyed flower. It was stuck up against the rocks, petals scattered about. The little brown filly tried to lift it back up straight, but the damage was done. "Oh no…"

Bramley turned his attention to Lug Nut. "I told ya once, Lug Nut. Leave Golden Grove alone."

Lug Nut stared up at the other colt as best he could, before frowning and turning away. "…Let's go."

The group of colts left, leaving Bramley and Golden Grove alone. The colt made sure the group of bullies were gone before turning to the filly. She was still beside the flower, trying to coax it back upright. He wanted to tell her to stop, that it was pointless, but after a minute of trying, the flower finally stood upright. "I think it'll live…" Golden Grove said softly. The colt didn't want to say anything that might break what little hope she had, so he decided to check on her instead.

"Are you alright?" Bramley asked, moving closer.

"I'm fine," the filly told him, rubbing at her cheek. "They just pushed me is all."

"Sorry Goldie. If I had been here, they wouldn't have hurt your flower."

"It's not your fault. I can't help it that I'm weak."

Bramley shook his head. "That ain't your fault. It's just ponies like Lug Nut think that cause they're stronger than other ponies they can do whatever they want."

"You're stronger than him," Golden Grove pointed out.

"But I ain't a bully."

She giggled. "You're right. I'm lucky to have you looking out for me."

Bramley gave her a small smile. "Ya got that right."

"Well, ain't that a sweet sight." The two young ponies turned to see Applejack standing nearby, a smile on her freckled face. "Almost like y'all are family already."

"We're not family," Bramley said shortly, almost sadly. "…I just look out for her."

"That's still a sweet thing to do," Fluttershy pointed out, coming over. Her eyes fell on the little flower behind Golden Grove. "Oh, is that a hyacinth?"

"A… a Hya…?" Golden Grove frown in confusion as the yellow pony moved over to the flower. "Ah, p-please don't hurt it…"

"Ain't no pony more careful with little things than Shy," Applejack said proudly. Fluttershy gave her a loving look, before moving over to the flower. It was still struggling to stay upright, the little bit of wind from Fluttershy's movement threatening to send it collapsing once more. A sad look crossed the pegasus's face.

"Oh, the poor thing is hurt…"

Golden Grove looked down at her hooves. "Lug Nut stomped on it…"

"He's a big bully who won't leave Goldie alone," Bramley said, frowning. "I try ta keep him away, but he always goes after her when I'm not around."

Fluttershy examined the flower for a little while longer. "Well, you don't have to worry."

Golden Grove blinked. "Huh? Why?"

"Flowers are tough," The mare told her with a smile. She sat down beside Golden Grove. "Just because things are small, doesn't mean they're frail. Even the biggest of us can get tired or weak."

"Y'all can say that again," Applejack said with a chuckle.

"This flower will be alright as long as it gets proper care and attention." Fluttershy smiled. "You've done a good job taking care of it."

"I make sure to water it every other day," Golden Grove said proudly.

Applejack cleared her throat. "I got a proposition for the two of you."

"For both of us?" Bramley asked, surprised.

"Sure enough. I can see the two of ya probably don't want ta be separated."

Golden Grove nodded. "I want to stay with Bramley always."

"Then how about the two of you come with us?" Applejack offered. "Shy and I were actually here to adopt."

"Adopt?" Bramley blinked. "You want… to adopt us?"

"We wanted a filly or colt to raise," Fluttershy said, "But seeing you two… well, I think Jackie and I see a lot of ourselves in you two."

"Although I reckon this colt here will take ta Big Mac more than me," Applejack said, looking over Bramley.

Golden Grove looked up at Fluttershy, her eyes wide. "You… you'd give us a home?"

"More than a home," The mare told her with a smile. "A family."

Applejack smiled. "So what do you think? Want ta come live with us?"

"Yes!" Golden Grove exclaimed, barely hesitating. Seeing the excitement on the little filly's face, Bramley chuckled. He turned to Applejack and said one word.

"Eeyup!"

-x-

"So does anyone want to explain to me why I woke up on a ship in an ocean of _sand_!?" Fenrir demanded, climbing up onto Tyr's shoulder.

"It's not just a ship on a sea of sand," Anastasia pointed out dryly from her spot behind the wheel. "It's a Wind Rider."

Tyr, Mercy, and her three daughters stood atop the deck of a bronze sand ship, it's massive prow slicing through the sandsea below them. A huge sail made of a golden material was above them, catching the ever present desert wind. The world they were currently in was an endless expanse of desert, with dunes stretching as far as the eye could see. Tyr and all the Striates were in desert gear, the dark skinned man forgoing his cloak for a thinner material to wrap about him. "This is so cool!" Passion squealed with glee from the prow. She waved her arms in the air with a laugh of delight. Unlike the rest of the group, she was clad in full armor, flame decorations all along the metal.

"I fail to see how this is cool," Fenrir grumbled. Tyr simply chuckled and stroked her head.

"Oh come now, Fen. No point in making puns," He said.

"What? I am not… oh, whatever!"

Mercy grinned from her lounge chair. She was actually only wearing a bikini and a waist wrap, and for all intents and purposes looked like she was tanning on the beach. She tilted her sunglasses up to peer at her youngest daughter. "Passion-fruit, this isn't a vacation. We're here on work."

Isabel giggled. "I don't think you're in a position to talk, mother."

"Hm. I suppose you're right."

Fenrir frowned. "So why are we here?"

"We're hunting a Sand Wyrm," Ana called out, brushing a strand of her hair out of her face. "There is an exceptionally big one that is terrorizing one of the travelling cities of this world."

"And we're here to kill it?" Fenrir asked. "Although I am always ready to hunt…Dare I ask why?"

"We were requested," Mercy clarified. "We've been to this world before."

"So Zodiac won't be interfering?" Tyr asked.

"Only if we go… overboard."

"I'm really sorry about last time!" Passion said. Both Tyr and Fenrir looked up at the snow white haired girl.

"Um… what did she do?" Tyr asked.

Ana shielded her eyes for a moment. "…We're about to pass it."

"Pass what…?" Tyr moved over to the edge of the deck and peered over into the sand. Just a distance away, a massive crater in the sand could be seen. As he continued to look, he could see several other craters of a similar size spaced out evenly. "What the hell…?"

"I got in a fight," Passion said sheepishly.

"You got in a fight with Aries," Mercy said with a frown. "One of the more… aggressive Zodiac Knights."

"He called me a puny kid!" Passion tried to defend herself.

A hyena made of pure metal appeared beside Passion, grinning wildly. Tyr recognized it as Passion's Chaos Spirit, Mayhem. "And you punched him in the crotch," The Spirit laughed.

"Which started a fight, then an all-out brawl, which started a skirmish, which eventually ended in a small war," Isabel finished.

Fenrir laughed loudly. "Worse things have happened from a man being punched in the cock!" The wolf spirit said between laughs.

Passion grinned victoriously. "I ended up winning!"

"You ended up getting your father involved," Mercy corrected. She glanced over at Tyr. "Jehu and Leo ended up declaring this world a Truce World, where neither of our sides are allowed to fight the other."

That made Tyr raise an eyebrow. Everything he knew about the interactions between Chaos and Order made it seem like they'd never agree to a truce of any kind. Violence seemed more like the end result. "They actually made a truce?"

"We're not simple barbarians," The woman said with a laugh. "Even we understand that our fighting only ruins the worlds we visit. We minimize our conflicts to worlds able to handle that sort of magical influence."

Tyr opened his mouth to ask another question, but Ana's voice cut him off. "The Wyrm is near!"

"Looks like we're on," Isabel said, getting up. Her mother frowned, but got up from her lounge chair as well. Passion and Mayhem looked extremely excited.

"Where is this Sand Wyrm?" Fenrir asked, climbing up onto Tyr's head to get a better look. Despite being bothered by their environment, the Spirit of Carnage could never pass up a hunt. Even Tyr was beginning to become a little excited. As he looked out over the sandsea, he heard an upset groan from behind him. He turned to see a somewhat put off Ana looking down at the panel in front of her. "Something up?"

The black haired girl looked up at him. "…Better brace yourself."

"Damn it," Mercy murmured. "I hate when she says that."

Tyr had barely a second to register what was going on before the entire sand ship shook, tilting violently to one side. All aboard grabbed for support, except Isabel who was quickly lifted to safety by Tragedy's performers. "What was that?" Mercy asked, one white wing wrapped around the mast.

"The Wyrm hit us," Ana said plainly. She pulled hard on the wheel, managing to right the ship properly.

"From underneath?" Tyr asked, holding onto the rail.

"I would assume so."

A rumble caught their attention. They looked over just as a massive sand colored body pulled itself out of the sandsea, sand pouring off its body in rivulets like water. Tyr and his companions had to simply stare at the Sand Wyrm in mute shock—the thing was _massive_. "Oh dear," Isabel murmured. "I do believe that is larger than expected…"

"Well, Thor's lightning," Fenrir muttered. "Oh, this should be good."

"This is why we make plans," Ana said, coming down from the helm. One of Tragedy's performers had taken over for her. "First, Passion will—"

"Where is my little Passion-fruit?" Mercy asked, frowning and looking around.

"HEY EVERYBODY, CHECK IT OUT!"

"Of course," Ana muttered as all of them looked in the direction of the voice. Sure enough, the bright girl was atop the back of the Sand Wyrm, waving at them. "…She can't help it, can she."

"You know we love her for it," Isabel said, taking up a position at the prow. Several rings of magical energy formed about her, blooming outwards into runic script. Tyr watched as the lines of magical writing sunk down into the metal of the ship, from prow to stern. "I'll protect the ship. Everyone else on offense."

Tyr frowned. "How are we supposed to hurt this thing?"

"We don't," Mercy replied, summoning her silver bow. "Passion does."

A loud crack split the air as the girl in question hammered down on the back of the Sand Wyrm, cracking the rock-like exterior of the Wyrm. She actually recoiled and shook her hand. "Ow, ow, owie!"

"Are you alright, dear?" Mercy called.

"It stung a little!" Passion grinned then, her snow colored hair flashing to its red color. Even at this distance, Tyr's eyes could pick out her prominent fangs as she started to get excited. "I think I might be bleeding!"

With that declaration, the small girl began hammering away at the Sand Wyrm with reckless abandon. The Wyrm, for its part, didn't seem to concerned about the small figure pounding at it. Tyr was about to suggest they try something else when Passion suddenly stopped punching the creature and hooked her fingers into it. A moment later, and she tore off a large piece of solidified sand. It was then that it hit him—Passion wasn't pointlessly hitting the thing. She was making cracks in the armor so that she could tear off a piece to get at the Wyrm itself. It wasn't until Passion's small fists actually broke through the rocklike armor and hit actual flesh that the Wyrm reacted. "I think I hurt it!" The girl declared, lifting up an arm covered in dark blood as the Wyrm screeched. She didn't have much of an opportunity to revel in her accomplishment as the Sand Wyrm suddenly raised up into the air.

"What is it doing?" Tyr asked.

Ana frowned. "It's about to go under again. Passion! Get off of it!"

Mercy took off then, her motherly senses spurring her to action. She had swooped over and snatched Passion off the back of the Sand Wyrm just as its front end hit the sand and began burrowing under once more. The rest of its length followed after, and before long there was silence again. "…Is it gone?" Fenrir asked quietly, lest her voice bring the beast back.

"Hopefully not," Ana muttered. She shouldered a somewhat large sphere object over the rail into the sand. "If we need to, my seismic generator should convince it to surface again…"

Their fears were allayed by the rumbling returning. "It's coming back!" Isabel called out.

Tyr looked around, hoping to catch sight of the Wyrm as it broke surface once more. But there was no warning as the entire ship suddenly lifted into the air. "…Oh, damn."

Even Fenrir cried out in surprise as the ship came crashing down, sending everyone aboard except Isabel falling with it. Her magic was holding the ship together, but Tyr could hear the groan of metal as the ship resisted the strain it was under. Ana rushed to the helm, trying to keep the Wind Rider from smashing into the dunes and stranding them all. But as the ship hit the sand, it came back up like a bouncing ball, sending Tyr and Fenrir airborne. "I DO NOT LIKE FLYING!" The wolf spirit wailed, hanging onto Tyr's clothes.

The man was forced to agree, especially as they came falling back down. The motion of the Sand Wyrm had sent the Wind Rider sliding away, and the only thing that greeted the man and his wolf was the burning sands. "Hell!" The man hissed, jumping up to his feet. Sand had gotten into his clothes, and the heat was searing. "Next place we go hunting better be tundra, or somewhere else cold!"

Fenrir shook herself free of sand, before suddenly freezing in place. "…Alpha…" She murmured, ears straight up, listening.

Tyr felt a feeling of dread run through him. "…It's coming this way, isn't it?"

"…Yes."

The Sand Wyrm breached then, it's million-toothed maw opening wide as it bore down on him. For anyone else, it would have been a terrifying sight. For the man standing alone on the dunes, it was more of a mild annoyance. Silver magic roared to life at a thought. "I'm not in the mood to be eaten!" Tyr declared, facing down the creature. Almost as it taking his challenge, the Wyrm came on faster, its disgusting mouth open to consume him. Seconds before it could eat him, the matrix of magic around Tyr's arm locked into place, and a massive figure made of armor appeared over him, gauntlets grabbing hold of the Wyrm. Like a figure out of myths, Tyr was only forced back a few feet as he forced the Wyrm to a complete stop.

"Would you look at that," Isabel remarked, smiling.

Even the normally stoic Ana smiled at that. "Guess Dad was right—this guy is impressive."

Despite stopping the creature, holding it still was another matter. Tyr was beginning to strain under its mouth strength and weight. "I can't hold this thing forever!" He groaned.

"I think it's good training!" Ana yelled out.

He sniffed almost unintentionally, and his face twisted up in a grimace. His silver magic pulled his scarf about his nose. "Oh, come on! Ever heard of a breath mint, buddy?"

"Seconded," Fenrir muttered, covering her nose. "This is a terrible time to have an advanced sense of smell."

"You can say that again."

"Yo! Up here!" Passion called out, her mother flying her over the Wyrm. Tyr glanced up at them, noticing they were up exceptionally high. The younger girl smacked her fists together. "Shish Kabob!"

Tyr nodded wordlessly, drawing on his magic once more to create a huge magical sword inside the Wyrm's maw. "Go for it!" He yelled, signaling Passion. Mercy released her daughter from a great height, the red-haired fury falling like an angry star, even yelling like one. After building up momentum, she slammed into the creature's head, Tyr dismissing the construct holding the mouth open simultaneously. The force of the impact closed it, the magic sword slicing through the notably softer interior up into the beast's brain. It was dead in moments.

"Yggdrasil's roots," Fenrir exclaimed. "Is it dead?"

Passion leapt off the beast to land beside Tyr. She punched the Wyrm once. "I'd say so."

"I could not tell. It smells just as bad."

Tyr chuckled. "I thought you'd be more excited about a successful hunt."

"Oh, believe me I am. But I do not wish to take a trophy from this one."

"We'll yank out a tooth or two for ya," Mercy said, flying over. She looked over to see Ana and Isabel bringing the Wind Rider back around. "But for now, we go report that we killed the thing."

Passion suddenly leapt onto Tyr's back, throwing her arms around his neck. "I wanna hunt another one, Mom! Me and Tyr make a good team!"

Tyr smirked at that. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Mercy laughed at that, but despite the smile on her face, there was a different feeling in her tone. "I know, Passion-fruit. But you know your father has other intentions for Tyr."

The flame haired girl sighed. "You're right…"

Tyr wanted to ask what Mercy meant by that, but the sand ship was coming back towards them, signaling it was time to leave. But he made a mental note to speak to Jehu about what he was doing at the Library sometime in the future. The enigmatic Chaos Mage had something planned, and it seemed only Tyr himself was out of the loop.

And that had to change, one way or another.


	4. Chapter 4

**Greetings again, dear readers. This is the last of the side stories (I can't call them shorts really, can I?) and next thing I post will be the first chapter of Lunar Legacy. If you're lucky, I might manage to finish the second chapter and double post. :D**

 **But onto comments.**

 **DragonLord Ryukioku: If a character is enigmatic and no one is around to hear them, are they still conspiring? I say yes. But no worries, closure will come.**

 **Kevin Lapse: It's Jeh-hu. And believe me, I don't mind. That joke... I've got this Pinkie Pie face going "Really?" In my head. :D**

 **flammablefiredragon: Huh. Forgive me, I think I wrote that response completely intending to put an 'either' in there somewhere. I'm pretty sure I should know the difference between those two. and to clarify the time issue, the first two stories happen around the same time, and the third and fourth happen about the same time. There's at least a few months difference (since Rainbow had Vibrant). But I promise, I'll do my best to clarify any time changes. And keep my presidents separated. :D**

 **But without further ado, the last side story! Who did I forget to do? Oh! Right! Twilight!**

* * *

New Field of Study

"…Twilight," Saving Grace murmured softly, "Pacing back and forth is not going to make this go any quicker.

The violet Alicorn paused in her movement, casting a worried glance over at the red-brown unicorn. She chewed at her bottom lip worriedly. "But… I really can't help it! When I'm worried, I pace!"

Grace let out a soft sigh. Despite being Princess Luna's personal knight, she was still somewhat obligated to help any of the Princesses when they needed her. And at the moment, the Princess of Friendship had asked for her help. But the mare's constant pacing was still a bit much. "It's distracting, Twilight."

"S-sorry…"

The red maned mare shook her head slightly as she turned back to what she was doing. A little violet colored foal sitting on the bed before her. She coughed lightly. "Hm… a little cough, huh? Anything else?"

She levitated a little tongue depressor over and opened the foal's mouth. "Evening Star started coughing this morning," Twilight said, coming over to stand beside her. "I've tried finding a magical cure for it, but—what is that?"

The other mare had wordlessly gone into her bag and pulled out a small vial. Without saying anything to the other mare, she tilted up the little filly's head and poured its contents into her mouth. "Swallow, little one," Grace ordered softly. Evening Star did so without flinching, getting a smile from the knight. "Good girl."

"Grace… what did you just feed my daughter?" Twilight demanded, a bit of a threat in her voice. Surprisingly, the Lunar Knight did not flinch at her tone.

"An herbal remedy Zecora taught me," Grace answered, patting Evening Star on the head. The foal smiled up at her. "She should be fine now."

"Oh… oh! That's good. Sorry."

"Motherly instinct," Grace said dismissively. "You should have seen Luna when Aurora caught the Magic Flu."

"That… does not sound pleasant."

Grace chuckled. "If you find a cure for insomnia while going through all your books, I better be the first one you contact."

Twilight giggled. "Thanks again, Grace."

"No problem. Please hesitate to call me in the future."

The Alicorn blinked several times as Grace made her way out of the Castle of Friendship. She followed after just a moment later, making sure to place Evening Star on her back. "Wait, Grace, you just said—!"

"I know what I meant, and I meant what I said," the other mare said, not pausing and leaving the Princess of Friendship to stare at her back as she left. She was still standing there as her husband, the Royal Knight Flash Sentry arrived home.

"You look perplexed," the orange pegasus said. "Something happen?"

Twilight glanced over at him, frowning. "Uh, does Grace sleep a lot?"

"Huh? Well, yeah, she does. I figured she just needs more rest cause she does most of her work at night. She not feeling well or something?"

"Well, she just told me she might have insomnia…"

The stallion chuckled. "Well, that doesn't surprise me. I think Grace works harder than me and Ace combined sometimes."

"Wow…"

Flash turned his attention to the foal on his wife's back. "Well, hello Evie! How's my little star doing?" The foal giggled as her father picked her up. "No more coughing?"

"Grace is a competent healer," Twilight admitted. The three of them walked inside, heading into the map room. Flash sat down in Rainbow's seat, setting Evie on the table in front of him. Twilight sat in her own throne, pushing aside a few errant papers. "I'm glad she agreed to help."

"That's Grace for ya. Always willing to help."

"So, anything interesting happen at work today, dear?"

"Some minor cases that required attention," Flash murmured, playing with his daughter. "Mostly just diplomatic work."

Twilight frowned. "I wonder why Princess Celestia isn't sending me or the others… we are supposed to be diplomats…"

"Work on Ponyville is still happening, right?" Flash pointed out. "The ponies in this town need you here, Twi. Sending me, Ace or Grace off to do things is one thing, since it's kinda our job."

"I guess…"

"On top of that, I'm pretty sure everyone in our little circle of friends has kids to look after."

Twilight couldn't help but nod in agreement. Rainbow's son Vibrant had just been born no more than a couple months ago, Fluttershy and Applejack had just adopted their two children, and Rarity and Pinkie's kids had just turned a year old. Twilight herself was still recovering from giving birth to Evie. According to Princess Celestia, Evening Star had been born with a considerable magical presence, almost akin to Twilight herself. Although to their surprise, the little filly was not born an Alicorn. Perhaps it requires a particular joining…? Twilight shook her head. "You're right. We're all busy these days."

"But that's beside the point," Flash said, smiling at his wife. "I'm home for now, and I wanna spend time with my daughter."

"Not with me?"

"Don't tease, Twi."

Twilight watched in a gentle silence as Flash played with Evie. He was so gentle and caring with the little foal, and always had a bright smile on his face while was with her. He seemed to come into fatherhood almost naturally, while Twilight was still floundering around with being a mother. Every little noise Evie could make made her nervous, and she was still attempting to 'baby proof' the castle. It was pretty difficult having a child in a castle made of crystal. But at least Evie wasn't as accident prone as Pinkie's daughter Jubilee was. As she sat there in thought, she noticed Flash looking at her. "Huh? Is something wrong?"

"I was meaning to ask you that," Flash said. "You look like something is bothering you."

"I'm… fine. Just a lot of work to do," Twilight told him, smiling weakly. It wasn't completely false—there were a lot of reports and such that she still had to go over. "Uh… Can you watch Evie for a bit?"

"You make it sound like she's a chore," the pegasus chuckled.

"You know that's not what I mean."

"I know, I know. Go do your work dear."

Twilight gave him a soft smile before leaving the map room and heading up to her study. When she entered, she found Spike standing near the desk, a scroll clutched in his claws. Her assistant had grown in the past year, getting taller and slimmer and losing his 'pudgy' look. Twilight, as his surrogate mother, couldn't help but worry as he grew older. He was still dating Sweetie Bell, but several other young mares were paying him more attention. But she shook her head to clear the thoughts from her mind. She had work to do, after all. "Is that for me?" She asked, walking over.

The purple and green dragon nodded. "I think it's a summons."

"Why do you say that—?" She noticed that the scroll was wrapped with a silver seal instead of a golden one. "…Oh. A letter from Princess Luna?"

Spike nodded, the look on his face grave. "Nopony's seen much of her since she showed up at Canterlot Boutique…"

"I saw her sometimes around the castle," Twilight told him, taking hold of the scroll with her magic. "But why would she want to see me?"

"Couldn't tell ya, Twilight. I guess you just have to go see her?"

Twilight opened the scroll and gave it a cursory read. "…Seems like it. From the look of this, she wants to see me as soon as possible."

"Are you going to go?"

"Of course. Flash is home, so he can take care of Evie."

Spike frowned, but nodded. "Hopefully Princess Luna is doing better…"

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Twilight assured him, pulling him into a hug. "You'll be around to help him anyway!"

"Well duh!" Spike hugged her back. "Now, you better get going."

Twilight nodded and let him go. She went back to the map room and found Flash sitting there with Evie in his lap. He smiled. "Hey babe. Something up?"

"I gotta go to Canterlot," Twilight told him. "I've been requested by the Princess."

"Princess Celestia?"

"Actually… Princess Luna."

Flash blinked. "Princess… Luna? She sent you a message?"

Twilight nodded. "I'm just as surprised as you. But if she wants to see me, I should go. Can you…?"

"I can handle Evie," Flash assured her. "Go ahead. I think I can handle this little filly."

"Thank you so much, Flash."

The stallion grinned. "Come on, Twi. Thanking me makes it seem like we're not married at all." Twilight didn't have a response to that, so she simply smiled one last time before teleporting away. Flash stared at the spot where she had been before looking down at his daughter. "So Evie, you wanna go bother Spike?"

~x~

A brown Alicorn with a light pink mane sat on a small throne in Canterlot Castle's main hall, a small frown on her face. As the newly titled Princess of Creativity, Sherry Spice found herself addressing many concerns that needed an imaginative touch. Currently, she was listening to some concerns of airship captains wondering if the sky lanes were safe to use. According to the two pegasii in front of her, there were concerns about the viability of several old trading paths. "The airships we have are old," One gold pegasus told her. "We need to make some sort of improvements and retrofit our fleet!"

The other pegasus, and older blue stallion, frowned. "Retrofitting out fleet would be pointless. We need newer ships!"

Sherry frowned a little bit, her dark brown eyes narrowing slightly. This was a normal concern for Equestria at the moment, as with the return of the Princesses, the state of affairs in the country had to almost be reset. She cleared her throat. "Is there a merit to retrofitting the ships?"

The first pegasus nodded. "We'd save in costs, for the first point. Plus, time would be on our side."

"Retrofitting would force us to work with older materials," The second pegasus pointed out. "We would mostly be fixing and upgraded pieces. New ships could be constructed much more solidly from the ground up!"

"But that would increase costs!"

"Hold a moment," Sherry said, holding up a hoof. As she did so, her eyes fell to the dark silver horseshoes she wore. She wore regalia like her aunt and adoptive mother while addressing complaints, but she still felt awkward wearing them. But appearances were appearances. She glanced over at the guard standing beside her. "How many airships do we have in the fleet?"

"No more than a dozen, Princess Sherry," The guard said. "Princess Celestia made it a point to not have a huge fleet. Thought that it would be seen as a military buildup."

"Increase the number of ships to twenty," Sherry said after a moment of thought. "Build new ships to increase the number, and retrofit a few of our older ships. We should have small ships designed for scouting as well."

The gold pegasus frowned. "You don't want to scrap the older ships?"

"It's a waste of serviceable ships. If they were at risk of falling apart, then I'd consider letting them be scrapped. Plus, the large majority of the fleet is responsible for trade."

"…Understandable. Should we get to work on that?"

Sherry nodded. "As soon as you can, please."

The two pegasii nodded their understanding before leaving the throne room. Sherry leaned back in her throne with a heavy sigh. No sooner had she done so, than an amused voice spoke up. "Hard day, Sherry?"

"Twilight!" The violet Alicorn walked in through the main doors and made her way over to the stairs below the throne. "What are you doing here?"

"Princess Luna summoned me," Twilight explained. "Is she available?"

Sherry thought for a moment. "I believe mom is in the library. She should still be there."

"Thanks Sherry." She glanced around to see a few Earth Ponies coming in. "…Seems like you've got more visitors."

"I just hope Aunt Celestia comes back from soon. Holding court for her is tiring."

"Why isn't Princess Luna doing it?"

"You know my mom doesn't like this sort of thing."

"Fair enough. I'll leave you to it then." Twilight headed off to the library, just as the Earth Ponies reached the throne. She could hear them complaining about new constructions or something along those lines as the violet pony went to the castle library. As she walked, many of the guards greeted her warmly. As the wife of their lieutenant and one of their princesses, she was a well-known face around the castle. It was a short walk to the library, on top of being a route she had walked numerous times before. As soon as she entered the library she noticed that it was a little darker than usual. Then, a voice called out to her.

"Ah, Twilight Sparkle. You came."

Twilight glanced over to see Princess Luna seated behind a table, a dark blue unicorn colt seated beside her. She smiled in greeting. "Hello Princess Luna. You look well."

"I have been doing much better lately," the Princess of Dreams said, smiling back. She glanced over at the colt beside her, who was quietly reading. "My little ones have done much for me in that regard."

Twilight came over to the table. "Hello Aleron," She addressed the colt.

"Hello Aunt Twilight," Aleron replied, looking up from his book to smile back. Despite being almost as much of a bookworm as she had been, Aleron had not developed an introverted personality. He was warm and friendly to anypony that spoke to him, and more often than not he was only reading in order to figure something out that he could not actively test.

Although something seemed a bit off. Twilight glanced around for a moment. "…Where is Aurora?"

"ZAP!" Suddenly, a dark violet Alicorn filly appeared on the table in a flash of silver-blue light. Twilight jumped in surprise. Aurora Dawn grinned widely. "Hi Aunt Twilight!"

"…Hi Aurora," Twilight said, recovering from her surprise. "You can teleport now?"

"Short distances," Aleron pointed out, closing his book. "We've both been practicing."

"Oh really? Wow. It took me a long time to learn teleportation safely…"

"My darling children seem to possess a natural talent for magic, much like you," Luna said. "Although they do not possess your ability to learn on sight."

"Aurora is mostly good with manipulation magic," Aleron said.

Aurora grinned. "I like to teleport!"

Twilight nodded. Manipulation masters usually boasted large magical awareness and skill in fine control. Rarity was like that, able to organize, manipulate, and direct ridiculous numbers of tools. "Have you developed a preference, Aleron?"

The colt was quiet for a moment. "I don't think I do yet. I enjoy learning about it, though."

"Which is why I summoned you," Luna said, nodding. "I know you have learned a lot of different spells over the years, and I wanted you to pass on some of your knowledge to my two crescent moons."

Twilight blinked. "Me? Tutor your children?"

"If I would be so bold to request."

"I… You really want me to?"

Luna smiled. "Yes, I do. I would greatly appreciate your insight into magic."

"Um…" Twilight glanced over at the twins, finding both of them looking at her expectantly. Those bright silver eyes of theirs were full of expectations. "Oh, alright. If it's no trouble, you could bring them to my castle whenever."

"Thanks Aunt Twilight!" Aurora said happily. Aleron nodded his agreement.

"Of course. I have to start teaching Evie eventually as well."

Aleron smiled. "We'll be looking forward to it."

Luna got up from her seat, a small smile on her face. "Well, that is all I needed, Twilight. I have kept you from your family long enough."

"Oh, it's no trouble," Twilight began, but Luna shook her head.

"Go on, Twilight Sparkle. I need to relieve my other daughter as it stands."

"Alright then." Luna left then, her children following along. Aleron gave the violet Alicorn a respectful nod, but his sister gave a big grin as they left their future tutor. Twilight watched them go, before teleporting back home.

~x~

Twilight entered the castle to find Flash asleep on a couch, Evie curled up in his lap. It was late, so she wasn't surprised to see that Evie was asleep too. Her mother smiled lightly. "Of course he falls asleep."

She walked over quietly, taking Evie in her magic aura and placing her on her back. She turned to leave, only to hear a rustle behind her. Twilight glanced back to see Flash sitting up. "Trying to steal your daughter away?" He chuckled softly.

"No," Twilight replied, smiling.

"You know I'm a light sleeper, right?"

"Well, she's not," the mare replied, gesturing with his head to the sleeping filly on her back. "And I should get her to bed."

"I'll walk with you," He told her, getting up. Twilight waited on him to join her before heading upstairs. They were quiet, obviously. Before long, they had gotten to Evie's room. Twilight lifted her daughter off her back and gently set her in her bed. She and Flash stood there for a bit, before suddenly Evie stirred. Her light violet eyes flickered open after a moment.

"Oh…" Twilight blinked a couple times.

As the two parents stood there over their daughter, they watched in silent surprise as the child opened her mouth. "Mama… book."

Her voice was quiet, but just the sound of it made Twilight's breath catch. "She… she just said her first words!" She quietly squealed.

Flash rolled his eyes. "Of course her first words are related to books," He muttered.

"Come on Flash," Twilight said, picking up her daughter again. "Let's read our little one a bedtime story, shall we?"

She moved over to a chair while Flash went to get one of his own. "What are you going to read?"

"I think this will be good," Twilight pulled a book out and opened it up. Flash moved over to her side, blinking slightly as he recognized the familiar tale. "Once upon a time, there were two sisters…"

-x-

It was a quiet day in the Library. As usual, Mercy sat at the 'receptionist's' desk, writing in a very large log book. This was her normal habit, since she couldn't rely on Jehu to bother doing it. A noise caused the cat ears atop her head to twitch. Mercy looked up from her writing as Tyr came towards the desk. With the barest hint of a smile, she adjusted her glasses and folded her fingers together on the desk. "Something I can help you with, Tyr?"

"Just reporting a job completed," The man said, placing a small container on the desk. In it was a bright golden liquid, almost like honey. Mercy looked him over, noticing that his coat was cut and had holes poked in it, along with a few random stains.

"…Rough time?"

"I'm never going to a world that's a beehive again," Fenrir said, pulling herself out of Tyr's coat. "It was so… sticky."

Mercy smiled. "Out of your element, I assume."

"Very."

"Oh, you brought it!" Tyr and Fenrir turned to see Willow, the Striate family's plant girl come walking over to them. Her body was made up of plant matter, with her hair and 'clothing' made of leaves. As she came over, Tyr noticed her body was quite shiny.

Mercy seemed to notice as well. "Did you just take a shower, Willow?"

"Oh? I did! I was feeling a little dry," The plant girl admitted.

"What's this stuff for anyway?" Tyr asked, nudging the jar. "And why did I have to fight through a giant bee hive for it?"

"This honey reacts particularly well when applied to plants," Willow explained, picking up the jar. "Dad wants me to see if I can distill it into a liquid that can be recreated."

"So it's a type of fertilizer?"

"Of a sort," Mercy said. "It promotes rapid growth."

Willow nodded, sticking one of her fingers into the honey. "Ah, that does taste good."

"Don't absorb too much of it before you do your tests," Mercy warned, just as Willow put her entire hand in the jar. When she pulled it back out, it was covered in blooming flowers.

"…Oops."

Tyr chuckled and shook his head. "Be careful with that stuff. I'm not planning on going back there any time soon."

Mercy smiled. "I'll just mark that world I.D. as 'giant beehive world'. Sounds appropriate."

She went back to writing in her log book, Tyr simply watching for a bit. "Hey, Mercy?"

The raven haired woman glanced up at him, pausing in her writing. "Oh? Going to pick my brain once more?"

"I thought as a librarian, that's why you're here," The man countered, getting a small laugh from the woman.

"I'm more of an assistant," Mercy replied smoothly. "But what did you want?"

"I was looking for a particular book," Tyr said.

Mercy frowned slightly. Most times, Tyr simply wandered the library, finding books on his own. Him asking for a particular book was a bit… unusual. "Well, depending on the book, I should be able to help. Otherwise, you could go ask Ana. What book were you looking for?"

Tyr frowned. "I was looking for a book on spells related to plane travelling."

The woman stared at him for a long minute, not saying a word. Her ears twitched, and she sighed. "Excuse me," She murmured, leaning down below the desk top. Tyr watched her, confused, before a sound came to his own attention. It grew louder and louder, before a book came spinning around a corner towards him. With almost uncanny precision, it struck Tyr pointedly in the forehead.

"OW!"

Mercy peeked back up over the desk. "Hm. That looked painful."

"It was!" Tyr complained, rubbing his forehead. "Who threw that!?"

"I did," Jehu said, suddenly appearing. There was a frown on his face.

"How did you hit me?"

"I bent the book."

"…What?"

"I curved the book around the bookshelf to hit the target—which was you in this case."

"So why did you throw a book at me!?"

"Because two years, dammit!"

Tyr blinked. "Two… years? What about two years?"

"I've been waiting on you to have even the tiniest bit of thought about planar travel," Jehu said with a sigh. "You think being introduced to a library where you can find a book on _literally anything_ would make that your first thought."

"You had me working right out the gate!" Tyr countered. "I was only here a couple days before you sent me to go wipe out that centaur cult!"

Mercy pulled out a tome and flipped through the pages. "He has a point, dear. He's only ever had about a week or so in between missions."

"My point still stands," Jehu said. "For someone who said they valued their family so much, you sure took a long time to find a way to get to them."

"You waited almost as long when you thought I was dead," Mercy said softly. "Harmony had to tell you that I was still alive."

That seemed to catch Jehu off guard. He glanced over at his wife, who was giving him a pointed gaze. He sighed. "…Right. I suppose that's fair."

While the couple had their silent conversation, Tyr glanced down at the book Jehu had thrown at him. A strange emblem was emblazoned on the front of it that looked akin to a half open eye. He picked it up. "…So this book could let me get to Equestria?"

Jehu and Mercy both looked over at him. It was Jehu who responded. "Well, in theory, yes. Only specific people can use the spells in that book."

"Specific people?"

"The long and short of it is, I can't," Jehu said, folding his arms.

"But, the Gate lets you go to any world…?"

Mercy shook her head. "Well, not every world. Worlds with specific kinds of protection can keep us out. Equestria is one of those worlds."

Jehu tapped the book. "My family and I can't use any of the spells in that book. I believe you can, but we won't know unless you try."

Tyr narrowed his eyes. "…And you're just now telling me this?"

"Jehu wanted to wait until you were ready," Mercy said. "Or at least you thought of it on your own."

"Ready?" That statement caught Tyr off guard. "Ready for what?"

"For the war ahead."

"…What?"

Jehu nodded. "All the missions I've sent you on were for you to grow stronger. To help you learn new skills to survive. Preparedness and determination above all. Zodiac still wants you dead, and they'll keep hunting you no matter where you go."

Tyr frowned. "They never tried to kill me here."

"I don't think any of them want to fight me," Jehu replied with a shrug. "And besides, the Library is protected. They can't come here."

"We'd end up slaughtering them regardless," Mercy said, examining her nails. "We've placed enough anti-Order traps around the Library to outlast Armageddon."

"Wasn't enough for Chocapocalypse," Isabel said, passing by with her performers carrying several boxes. Jehu and Mercy both visibly shivered. Tyr glanced from her to her parents.

"This is like the third or fourth time I've heard someone reference Chocapocalypse," The man said, frowning. "What was it?"

"It was a day of much rejoicing and sorrow," Jehu said with a dark look. "Just hope there isn't a second one."

"Uh huh…"

"Anyways!" Mercy said, trying to change the subject. "Well, now you have the spell you need to go to Equestria. What will you do now?"

"I believe we should point out that the portal you open will be one way only," Isabel said, coming back over. She was joined by her two sisters, both with somewhat unreadable expressions. Even Passion seemed a bit thoughtful about the entire situation. "Once you go through, you'd have to find another way to return here."

Tyr frowned and looked back down at the book. "One way trip, huh…"

"Well, you'd be reunited with your family," Jehu said with a shrug. "And to a Striate, family always comes first."

Mercy nodded in agreement. "So we would accept your decision regardless."

"I kinda want you to stay," Passion said honestly. "You're like the brother we've never had."

"Although your family still pines for you," Isabel pointed out. "In the end, the decision is yours."

Tyr glanced around at the Striate Family. They had treated him almost like an actual relative since his arrival, and Passion and Isabel actually looked a little sad that he might be leaving. But he had a family—a wife and kids, even a pet (technically). And no doubt they wanted to see him just as badly as he wanted to see them. Then all his friends as well would want to see him. His hand tightened on the book. "…I want… no. I _need_ to see them. To go to them. Now that I know I can go to them, I can't pass that up."

"Fair enough," Jehu said, nodding. Tyr could have sworn he looked a little proud.

"Wait!" Passion said, running over to Tyr. The man looked at her in confusion, just before she pressed something into his hand. It was a large, flat serrated tooth that he recognized from the Sand Wyrm hunt. It was tied on a string. "I made this for you."

Tyr smiled at the simplicity of the gift. "Thank you, Passion."

"Well, if we're giving gifts…" Isabel said, smiling softly. She came over and handed what looked to be a mask made of a white material. "A bone mask enchanted with magic. If you put it on, it will disguise you as another person until you remove it."

"Sounds useful," The man said.

"One from me as well," Ana said. She handed Tyr a small pouch made of a starry black material. "A storage pouch for your potions and stuff. I've already put a number of vials and stoppers in there for you."

"Bigger on the inside, hm?" He took the pouch and looked into it. It was like looking into a dark chasm, but when he slipped his hand inside, the moment he thought about holding a vial one seemed to fall into his hand. "Oh, that's neat."

"Just remember what you put in there," Ana warned him.

Jehu and Mercy came over, the woman carrying something in her arms. It looked to be cloth of some kind. "One last thing," Jehu said.

Tyr frowned. "…What is it?"

Mercy held it up, it unfolding it out into a cloak. It was almost like Tyr's old one, but much sleeker with a higher collar. "We had it made for you, since your old one has taken some damage."

The man took the cloak from her and looked over it. It was light, yet he could feel the strength of the material. "What is this made out of?"

"The clasps are made from Sand Wyrm teeth," Jehu said with a grin. "And the cloak itself is a special kind of weave only Shadows can made. Night Weave, I believe it's called."

"It's just as strong—if not stronger—as the cloak your friend made for you," Mercy continued, watching as Tyr pulled off his old coat and slid into the new one. It was comfortable, and as he looked at it, the material seemed to flow like a solid shadow around him. He put his new gifts into the pouch and slipped it into his cloak.

"The cloth won't catch on anything, even if you try to stab a blade into it," Jehu said.

Mercy nodded. "You can grab it well enough, just not pierce it."

Tyr smiled. "Thanks for this, you two. Honestly, I appreciate all of this."

"Well, I guess this is it," Jehu gestured to the front door that opened into the library. "Use the door."

The Striate family watched as Tyr walked to a space in front of the door and opened the spell book. As Tyr had experienced multiple times before, the Striates used a special gateway spell to open entrances using the Library's front door. This would be the first time Tyr himself would be the one opening the gate. The book glowed a soft bluish glow as Tyr's own silver magic fed into it. He opened it, the pages flying open to the spell he needed. No words needed to be spoken, as the book seemed to feed of his desire. A bolt of silver light shot from the book to the door, and a wide, oval shaped portal opened in front of him. It glowed with an unearthly white color, nothing like the doors Jehu and his family normally used. "That's… unusual," Isabel murmured.

"It's a different kind of portal," Jehu said with a shrug.

Tyr moved towards the portal. Unlike the doors, he could feel the magical energy coming off of it. "Well, I guess this is goodbye," He muttered, glancing back at Jehu and his family. They all simply smiled. Tyr nodded back, before reaching out to touch the gateway. Almost immediately, he was enveloped in a bright light. When it receded, the man was gone, the gateway was gone, and the book was lying on the floor.

"Well," Jehu said, honestly surprised. "That happened."

Isabel's eyes turned red for a moment. "He arrived safely, but…"

"But what?"

"He's in the middle of a savannah."

Jehu sat down in a chair and waved one had dismissively. "Ah, he'll be fine. Let him wander for a bit, we can't go in after him anyway."

"Uncle?" A soft voice called out. All of them looked to see a small girl with a purple wool hat on her head peeking around a bookshelf. Atop her head was perched a small golden owl. "I felt something unusual on my matrix…"

"A different portal was opened, Ruby," Jehu replied.

"I know, but the protections surrounding Equestria have a hole in them now." Ruby came around the corner, her cat tail swishing behind her. She ran a hand through her brown hair, somewhat nervously.

Mercy frowned. "A hole?"

"Mmhm. I think we can open a door there, if only once."

Jehu glanced back at the door. "So we can go after him one time, hm…?"

A matrix of light surrounded the small girl, forming into a hard light computer. She let her hands run along the consoles for a moment, accessing some kind of information. "Well, yes. After that, the opening will close. No doubt whoever placed the protections would notice our intrusion and close the hole."

"Fair enough. Keep an eye on it. We'll only use it if we need to."

Mercy went back to her desk. "Well, I need to get back to work. Hopefully Tyr will remember about the acclimation period."

"Oh." Jehu winced. "…I don't think I told him."

"…What."

"Dad!" Isabel frowned. "If Tyr uses any of his magic before the acclimation period, who knows what kind of damage it could do to his body!"

Mercy facepalmed. "Sometimes I swear you do these things on purpose…"

Jehu straightened up in his chair. "Well, we can just tell him, right? No big deal."

"Um, yes big deal," Ruby corrected. "There wasn't just a hole opened in Equestria's protections."

Ana frowned. "This cannot be good."

The front door of the library burst inwards, scattering debris in all directions. When the dust cleared, the sound of heavy metal boots gave away who their visitors were. Seven Zodiac Knights marched into the Library, dozens of soldiers coming in behind them. The familiar plume of Leo's helmet was present at the front. "Well, it has been a while, Jehu Striate," The leader of the Zodiacs said.

"Don't remember inviting you to come over," Jehu said flatly, his violet eyes narrowing. "I kindly ask you to vacate the premises."

"But we came all this way," A voice from behind Leo said. The female knight to his back stepped forward. "You wouldn't let us go now, right?

Jehu glanced over at the Knight. "Sagittarius. You came along for this one?"

"A chance to kill you all finally?" Another of the Knights came forward, his armor pitted and scraped. The massive sword on his shoulder was just as worn from numerous battles. "How could we pass all that up?"

There was silence for a long moment. Finally, Jehu sighed and got up from his seat. He held out his hand, and black mist coalesced around it, finally solidifying in a silver scythe. The man grinned wildly, his violet eyes glowing bright. "Well then! Let's have a party!"

-x-


End file.
